Enabling High Performance PNT in the Lunar Environment (LUPIN)

• DOI: 10.33012/2024.19714
• Publication Date: 2024-10-15T14:54:29Z
• Authors: Ramin Moradi; Steven Kay; Danilo Forte; Matteo De Benedetti; Karl Buckley; Angus Cameron; Jorge Eduardo Mar...; Florin-Adrian Stancu; Daniel Betco; Floor Thomas Melman; Richard Dennis Sw...; Martin Azkarate; Javier Ventura-Tr...

With the renewed interest in lunar exploration and numerous missions planned for this decade, ranging from rovers to crewed landings, accurate continuous Position, Velocity, Time (PVT) estimates on Moon are becoming a hot research topic. PVT is fundamental enabling technology all scientific commercial activities. Currently, state-of-the-art navigation surface operations relies primarily inertial visual sensors. However, absolute positioning achieved through resource-intensive techniques such as map terrain matching, which require occasional recalibration. At present, there significant development efforts focused designing deploying dedicated infrastructure provide enhanced Navigation, Timing (PNT) services. In particular, European Space Agency (ESA), its Moonlight program, developing Lunar Communication Navigation System (LCNS). This system offers services via one-way signals, similar functionality of Earth-based Global Satellite Systems (GNSS). As part ESA LUPIN project, work aims define novel approach planetary rover using LCNS. approach, performance requirements typical onboard relative localization functions could be relaxed, leveraging availability fusion LCNS signal data. The will help maintain constrain drift inherent dead-reckoning solutions, improving accuracy reliability operations.