Mars And Moon Exploration Passing Through The European Precision Landing GNC Test Facility

Paper number

IAC-07-A3.4.01

Author

Dr. Gian Paolo Guizzo, Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Andrea Bertoli, Carlo Gavazzi Space S.p.A., Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Alberto Della Torre, Carlo Gavazzi Space S.p.A., Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Giorgio Magistrati, Carlo Gavazzi Space S.p.A., Italy

Coauthor

Mr. Filippo Mailland, Carlo Gavazzi Space S.p.A., Italy

Coauthor

Dr. Igor Vukman, Carlo Gavazzi Space, Italy

Coauthor

Dr. Christian Philippe, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands

Coauthor

Mrs. Maria Manzano Jurado, Spain

Coauthor

Prof. Gian Gabriele Ori, Italy

Coauthor

Dr. Malcolm Macdonald, SciSys Ltd, United Kingdom

Coauthor

Dr. Oliver Romberg, OHB-System AG, Germany

Coauthor

Prof. Stefano Debei, CISAS G. Colombo Center of Studies and Activities for Space, University of Padova, Italy

Coauthor

Dr. Mirco Zaccariotto, CISAS G. Colombo Center of Studies and Activities for Space, University of Padova, Italy

Year

2007

Abstract

In the frame of the ESA Aurora exploration program the precision landing on Mars and Moon is of strategic importance because the ability to land on sites with high scientific interest is not a straightforward task.
From here the need to provide a dedicated test facility able to test GNC techniques and technologies both vison and LIDAR based in a realistic environment, in real time and in a real scale. This is a fundamental step through which the planetary exploration will pass in order to reduce the inherent risks associated to any landing mission.
The project named Precision Landing GNC Test Facility (PLGTF) has been conceived with this purpose and is successfully started; the test facility will emulate a real lander dynamics during the powered descent phase in an atmospheric and non-atmospheric planetary environment.
PLGTF is approaching to be the first ever-built facility with such a performances and it will be able to validate the entire GNC chain of a landing system.
The first PLGTF implementation foresees the capability to validate the Navigation function and also the sensor/s associated at the GNC system under test through the execution of predefined descent trajectories. While, in a near future, an enhanced version of the PLGTF will enable to validate Guidance algorithms and Hazard Avoidance techniques through the execution of closed loop tests.
PLGTF is formed by a flight segment able to reproduce the lander powered descent in a 1:1 scale (at least for the Mars scenario) and by a ground segment. The ground segment is not only devoted to control the operations but also to provide a realistic test site environment, which is of paramount importance for the representatively of the real descent scenario seen by the GNC sensors.
The test sites selected are formed by real landscapes (including rock distribution on the landing site) similar to the ones present on Mars and on the Moon; they are located in Morocco desert.
In this paper it will be firstly presented the type of powered descent trajectories to be reproduced and the objectives of the test facility, then it will be detailed the PLGTF in all of its parts. For the flight segment it will be detailed the flying test-bed adopted and its performances, the avionics and services provided and for the ground segment the ground station composite and the test sites selected.

Abstract document

IAC-07-A3.4.01.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-07-A3.4.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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