NASA successfully demonstrated an autonomous navigation technology designed to help spacecraft safely land on the Moon and other planets.
The system, known as the Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE), maps terrain and detects potential hazards to divert spacecraft to safer locations during descent. NASA project manager Davis Adams said the flight raised the technology’s readiness level for integration into future robotic and crewed lunar flights.
An Alta-X drone equipped with the SPLICE payload completed simulated lunar descent and landing maneuvers on Aug. 27. The flight took place at Rogers Dry Lake near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The system generates high-resolution digital elevation maps using light-detection and sensor data to assess potential landing areas, according to the agency.
Researchers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston developed the payload and partnered with Armstrong specialists to integrate and test it aboard the drone in June and July. The flights verified communications, data handling and control performance between the payload and the drone.
NASA has worked with commercial lunar lander providers to implement versions of SPLICE into their platforms. Adams said the agency is coordinating with the industry to use the guidance system once it becomes available in the NASA software catalog, which is planned for this fall.
The recent tests prepared the payload for a full-scale test scheduled for later this month at Voyager Technologies in Mojave, California, the agency said.