Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE)

Navigational Doppler Lidar device developed during earlier COBALT project.

Generation-3 Navigational Doppler Lidar device developed during earlier COBALT project.

To demonstrate maturation of the technologies…[testing includes]… an integrated hardware-in-the-loop simulation, aircraft testing, helicopter testing, and suborbital flight testing onboard a commercial, reusable rocket vehicle.

The Safe and Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution project, or SPLICE, plans to develop, mature, demonstrate, and infuse precision landing and hazard avoidance (PL&HA) technologies for NASA and for potential commercial spaceflight missions.

PL&HA technology advancements are being pursued in the following areas:

– Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL), which provides direct velocity and ranging measurements using Doppler-based techniques

– Hazard Detection Lidar (HDL), capable of generating a real-time, 3-D terrain map within a 50-meter radius of the landing target, at a sufficient range to allow for safe landing site determination
– Algorithms for performing guidance and navigation, including Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) and Hazard Detection (HD)

– Advanced computing capabilities, via a high performance space computing-based platform with a path to spaceflight, capable of supporting processing-intensive algorithms for navigation and image processing

In order to demonstrate the maturation of the technologies, an integrated ground test and flight test capability will also be developed as part of the project. This includes an integrated hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) simulation, aircraft testing, helicopter testing, and suborbital flight testing onboard a commercial, reusable rocket vehicle.

Principal Technologist Project Manager
Michelle Munk (michelle.m.munk@nasa.gov) John Carson (john.m.carson@nasa.gov)

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Safe & Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE)

Safe & Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) The Safe & Precise Landing – Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) project is developing an advanced system of sensors, avionics and algorithms for safely landing on planetary surfaces. The major components of SPLICE, along with navigation doppler lidar, are a camera for terrain relative navigation, a hazard detection lidar, and a descent and landing computer that incorporates a surrogate for the in-development NASA high-performance spaceflight computing (HPSC) processor. The SPLICE suite of sensors and algorithms use real-time images and 3D-generated maps to precisely navigate during descent and landing toward safe touchdown locations in close proximity to targeted planetary surface locations. The NASA HPSC chip enables SPLICE computing to rapidly process high volumes of data with complex algorithms that determine precise navigation information, intelligent guidance maneuvers, and the safest landing sites for future missions. The HPSC processor architecture provides roughly 100 times the computational capacity of current space flight processors for the same amount of power. The chip also offers greater flexibility, extensibility and interoperability than current processors. SPLICE’s advanced sensing, computing and algorithm technologies will enable safe and precise landing for future NASA missions.

Sensors for Precision Landing on Other Worlds Prepares for Flight Test

This video shows one of a series of tether tests of a Draper terrain relative navigation system mounted on a Masten Space Systems Xodiac rocket. Tether tests like this ensure the rocket and navigation technology are communicating before the actual suborbital launch and landing.
Credits: Credits: NASA/Masten Space Systems

Xodiac Rocket

Xodiac rocket with earlier COBALT instrumentation. SPLICE will use the same platform for flight testing.

Xodiac rocket with earlier COBALT instrumentation. SPLICE will use the same platform for flight testing.

SPLICE Engineering Test Unit

The SPLICE engineering test unit compared with the earlier, generation-3 navigational doppler lidar unit developed during the COBALT project. Size and mass are reduced.

The SPLICE engineering test unit compared with the earlier, generation-3 navigational doppler lidar unit developed during the COBALT project. Size and mass are reduced.

SPLICE: Safe and Precise Landing—Integrated Capabilities EvolutionDownloadSPLICE: Safe and Precise Landing—Integrated Capabilities Evolution