\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA\u2019s Laser Navigation Tech Enables Commercial Lunar Exploration\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Navigation](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/clps-ndl-langley.jpg?w=1536\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\nNavigation Doppler Lidar is a guidance system that uses laser pulses to precisely measure velocity and distance. NASA will demonstrate NDL\u2019s capabilities in the lunar environment during the IM-1 mission. <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCredits: <\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA\/David C. Bowman<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nLater this month, NASA\u2019s commercial lunar delivery services provider Intuitive Machines will launch its Nova-C lunar lander carrying several NASA science and technology payloads, including the Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL). This innovative guidance system<\/a>, developed by NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, under the agency\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), can potentially revolutionize landing spacecraft on extraterrestrial worlds.<\/p>\nThe NDL technology is a NASA payload for this Intuitive Machines Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) delivery, meaning NASA will demonstrate NDL\u2019s capabilities in the lunar environment during the mission but the data is not considered mission-critical for the successful landing of Nova-C, as Intuitive Machines has its own navigation and landing systems.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>The Artemis mission will take humans back to the Moon and Navigation Doppler Lidar will ensure a safe landing for everyone onboard. NDL Chief Engineer Glenn Hines explains how lasers will relieve astronauts of some of the burdens of making safe, precise landings on the Moon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe NDL story started almost 20 years ago when Dr. Farzin Amzajerdian, NDL project manager at NASA Langley, made a breakthrough and successfully found a precise way to land rovers on Mars. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, several attempts at landing rovers on the surface of Mars were met with several significant challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Radar was inherently imprecise for this application. Radio waves cover a large area on the ground, meaning smaller craters and boulders that are commonly found on the Martian surface could \u2018hide\u2019 from detection and cause unexpected hazards for landers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe landers needed the radar sensor to tell them how far they were off the ground and how fast they were moving so they could time their parachute deployment,\u201d said Amzajerdian. \u201cToo early or too late, the lander would miss its target or crash into the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
Radio waves also couldn\u2019t measure velocity and range independently of one another, which is important, according to Aram Gragossian, electro-optics lead for NDL at NASA Langley, who joined the team about six years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you go over a steep slope, the range changes very quickly, but that doesn\u2019t mean your velocity has changed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo if you just feed that information back to your system, it may cause catastrophic reactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amzajerdian knew about this problem, and he knew how to fix it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not use a lidar instead of a radar?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
LiDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, is a technology that uses visible or infrared light the same way radar uses radio waves. Lidar sends laser pulses to a target, which reflects some of that light back onto a detector. As the instrument moves in relation to its target, the change in frequency of the returning signal \u2013 also known as the Doppler effect \u2013 allows the lidar to measure velocity directly and precisely. Distance is measured based on the travel time of the light to the target and back.<\/p>\n
Lidar offered several advantages over radar, notably the fact that a laser transmits a pencil beam of light that can give a more precise and accurate measurement.<\/p>\n
In 2004, Amzajerdian proposed NDL as a concept to the Mars Science Laboratory team. In 2005, he and his team received funding from Langley to put together a proof of concept. Then, in 2007, they received funding for building and testing a prototype of a helicopter. This is when Langley\u2019s Dr. Glenn Hines joined NDL \u2014 first as electronic lead and now as chief engineer.<\/p>\n
Since then, Amzajerdian, Hines, and numerous other team members have worked tirelessly to ensure NDL\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hines credits the various NASA personnel who have continued to advocate for NDL. \u201cIn almost everything in life, you\u2019ve got to have a champion,\u201d Hines said, \u201csomebody in your corner saying, \u2018Look, what you\u2019re doing is good. This has credibility.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
The Intuitive Machines delivery is just the beginning of the NDL story; a next-generation system is already in the works. The team has developed a companion sensor to NDL, a multi-functional Flash Lidar camera. Flash Lidar is a 3D camera technology that surveys the surrounding terrain \u2014 even in complete darkness. When combined with NDL, Flash Lidar will allow you to go \u201canywhere, anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other future versions of NDL could have uses outside the tricky business of landing on extraterrestrial surfaces. In fact, they may have uses in a very terrestrial setting, like helping self-driving cars<\/a> navigate local streets and highways.\u00a0<\/p>\nLooking at the history and trajectory of NDL, one thing is certain: The initial journey to the Moon will be the culmination of decades of hard work, perseverance, determination, and a steadfast belief in the project across the team, but held most fervently by NDL\u2019s champions, Amzajerdian and Hines.<\/p>\n
NDL was NASA\u2019s\u00a0Invention of the Year<\/a>\u00a0in 2022. Four programs within STMD contributed to NDL\u2019s development:\u00a0Flight Opportunities<\/a>,\u00a0Technology Transfer<\/a>,\u00a0Small Business Innovation Research & Small Business Technology Transfer,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Game Changing Development<\/a>.<\/p>\nNASA is working with multiple CLPS vendors to establish a regular cadence of payload deliveries to the Moon to perform experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the lunar surface. Payloads delivered through CLPS will help NASA advance capabilities for science, technology, and exploration on the Moon.<\/p>\n
Simone Williams
NASA Langley Research Center<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nExplore More<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA\/David C. Bowman<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Later this month, NASA\u2019s commercial lunar delivery services provider Intuitive Machines will launch its Nova-C lunar lander carrying several NASA science and technology payloads, including the Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL). This innovative guidance system<\/a>, developed by NASA\u2019s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, under the agency\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), can potentially revolutionize landing spacecraft on extraterrestrial worlds.<\/p>\n The NDL technology is a NASA payload for this Intuitive Machines Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) delivery, meaning NASA will demonstrate NDL\u2019s capabilities in the lunar environment during the mission but the data is not considered mission-critical for the successful landing of Nova-C, as Intuitive Machines has its own navigation and landing systems.<\/p>\n The NDL story started almost 20 years ago when Dr. Farzin Amzajerdian, NDL project manager at NASA Langley, made a breakthrough and successfully found a precise way to land rovers on Mars. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, several attempts at landing rovers on the surface of Mars were met with several significant challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n Radar was inherently imprecise for this application. Radio waves cover a large area on the ground, meaning smaller craters and boulders that are commonly found on the Martian surface could \u2018hide\u2019 from detection and cause unexpected hazards for landers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe landers needed the radar sensor to tell them how far they were off the ground and how fast they were moving so they could time their parachute deployment,\u201d said Amzajerdian. \u201cToo early or too late, the lander would miss its target or crash into the surface.\u201d<\/p>\n Radio waves also couldn\u2019t measure velocity and range independently of one another, which is important, according to Aram Gragossian, electro-optics lead for NDL at NASA Langley, who joined the team about six years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you go over a steep slope, the range changes very quickly, but that doesn\u2019t mean your velocity has changed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo if you just feed that information back to your system, it may cause catastrophic reactions.\u201d<\/p>\n Amzajerdian knew about this problem, and he knew how to fix it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not use a lidar instead of a radar?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n LiDAR, which stands for light detection and ranging, is a technology that uses visible or infrared light the same way radar uses radio waves. Lidar sends laser pulses to a target, which reflects some of that light back onto a detector. As the instrument moves in relation to its target, the change in frequency of the returning signal \u2013 also known as the Doppler effect \u2013 allows the lidar to measure velocity directly and precisely. Distance is measured based on the travel time of the light to the target and back.<\/p>\n Lidar offered several advantages over radar, notably the fact that a laser transmits a pencil beam of light that can give a more precise and accurate measurement.<\/p>\n In 2004, Amzajerdian proposed NDL as a concept to the Mars Science Laboratory team. In 2005, he and his team received funding from Langley to put together a proof of concept. Then, in 2007, they received funding for building and testing a prototype of a helicopter. This is when Langley\u2019s Dr. Glenn Hines joined NDL \u2014 first as electronic lead and now as chief engineer.<\/p>\n Since then, Amzajerdian, Hines, and numerous other team members have worked tirelessly to ensure NDL\u2019s success.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hines credits the various NASA personnel who have continued to advocate for NDL. \u201cIn almost everything in life, you\u2019ve got to have a champion,\u201d Hines said, \u201csomebody in your corner saying, \u2018Look, what you\u2019re doing is good. This has credibility.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n The Intuitive Machines delivery is just the beginning of the NDL story; a next-generation system is already in the works. The team has developed a companion sensor to NDL, a multi-functional Flash Lidar camera. Flash Lidar is a 3D camera technology that surveys the surrounding terrain \u2014 even in complete darkness. When combined with NDL, Flash Lidar will allow you to go \u201canywhere, anytime.\u201d<\/p>\n Other future versions of NDL could have uses outside the tricky business of landing on extraterrestrial surfaces. In fact, they may have uses in a very terrestrial setting, like helping self-driving cars<\/a> navigate local streets and highways.\u00a0<\/p>\n Looking at the history and trajectory of NDL, one thing is certain: The initial journey to the Moon will be the culmination of decades of hard work, perseverance, determination, and a steadfast belief in the project across the team, but held most fervently by NDL\u2019s champions, Amzajerdian and Hines.<\/p>\n NDL was NASA\u2019s\u00a0Invention of the Year<\/a>\u00a0in 2022. Four programs within STMD contributed to NDL\u2019s development:\u00a0Flight Opportunities<\/a>,\u00a0Technology Transfer<\/a>,\u00a0Small Business Innovation Research & Small Business Technology Transfer,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Game Changing Development<\/a>.<\/p>\n NASA is working with multiple CLPS vendors to establish a regular cadence of payload deliveries to the Moon to perform experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the lunar surface. Payloads delivered through CLPS will help NASA advance capabilities for science, technology, and exploration on the Moon.<\/p>\n Simone Williams
NASA Langley Research Center<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nExplore More<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/scalpss-clps.jpeg?w=300\")
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