Development of a Signature-based Terrain Relative Navigation System for Precision Landing

Astrobotic’s OPAL (Optical Precision Autonomous Landing) system, developed under public-private partnership, is a stand-alone, bolt-on commercial terrain relative navigation (TRN) sensor enabling pose estimation over a wide range of altitudes, off-nadir angles, and velocities. TRN enables spacecraft to land at more challenging sites through pinpoint landing and ​ a priori hazard avoidance. OPAL builds on Astrobotic’s previous work on TRN sensor systems that have been deployed in suborbital rocket and helicopter field tests as well as JPL’s Lander Vision System (LVS) for Mars 2020. The OPAL system will fly aboard Astrobotic's Peregrine Mission One that will touch down near Lacus Mortis in 2021 as part of the first NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions. OPAL’s signature-based TRN algorithms, simulation tools, and testing approach are overviewed.