National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Autonomous Navigation (AutoNav) for Primitive Body Exploration
Shyam Bhaskaran
Mission Design and Navigation Section
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology
Introduction
AutoNav is uniquely suited to handle primitive body exploration needs
• Rapid orbit knowledge with respect to previously unseen targets
• Quick turnaround maneuver design for orbit maintenance and/or landing
• High accuracy targeting for imaging and small landing footprint
• Proven capability for high-speed small body deflection
New Capabilities
AutoNav now includes autonomous landmark tracking1 for
proximity operations2
Capabilities / Performance
• High precision dynamic models of trajectory
• Autonomous onboard image processing and orbit determination
• Autonomous onboard maneuver planning and execution
• ‘Scene Analysis’ for target site selection
• Spacecraft-Spacecraft synchronization
AutoNav has been used successfully on every NASA comet imaging mission to date
AutoNav 3-DOF and 6 DOF simulations confirm landing
accuracy performance of < 5 m (3- sigma)3
Depart
staging
area
Enable
AutoNav
Drop burn
at 500 m altitude
Continue flyby if commit
command not received
Landmark
tracking
Representative scenario
of how AutoNav can be
used for a targeted landing
19/P Borrelly
Deep Space 1
2001
81/P Wild 2
Stardust
2004
9/P Tempel 1
Deep Impact
2005
103/P Hartley 2
EPOXI
2010
9/P Tempel 2
Stardust NExT
2011
Braking
burns
at 110, 35m
Touchdown
References
1. Gaskell, R. “Optical Navigation Near Small Bodies”, Paper AAS 11-220, 2011
2. Riedel et al, “Configuring the Deep Impact AutoNav System for Lunar,
Comet and Mars Landing”, Paper AIAA-2008-6940, 2008
3. Bhaskaran et al, “Small Body Landings Using Autonomous Onboard Optical
Navigation,” JAS in press.