Rocket validation of the ALHAT autonomous GNC flight system

The NASA technology development project ALHAT (Autonomous Landing and Hazard Avoidance Technology) has created Autonomous GNC (AGNC) and sensor technology which enables safe and precise planetary landings. The final stage of this effort is to field test the technology in a relevant terrestrial environment. Doing so raises its Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in preparation for a next generation planetary lander. This paper reviews the recent highly successful flight demonstration and validation of the ALHAT Autonomous GNC flight system. These flights were performed through the NASA Flight Opportunities program and utilized a Masten Space Systems (MSS) terrestrial rocket. The ALHAT AGNC software resides within the Draper-built GENIE avionics system which when integrated with the Terrestrial Test Rocket (TTR) flew the vehicle through a highly dynamic planetary approach and landing trajectory, the most challenging and dynamic portions of a rocket-powered landing. These trajectories can be tailored to mimic the powered flight portion of a lunar, Mars, or other body Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) mission phase. With the ALHAT AGNC system demonstrated, advanced sensor systems can then be incorporated with GENIE, enabling autonomous hazard detection and avoidance in conjunction with a highly precise landing. Future flights are planned to demonstrate hazard detection and avoidance using an advanced optical sensor system. Additionally, this integrated AGNC-GENIE flight system can host other planetary EDL-related software and/or hardware to provide an extensible terrestrial testing and validation capability for NASA.