Autonomous Lost on Earth Navigation System

ABSTRACT: To address the Air Force need for a miniature high-altitude precision navigation alternative, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Autonomous Lost on Earth Navigation (ALOEN) sensor system. This proposed system is based on a new design that utilizes an amalgam of mature POC-developed components and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components. This innovation in high-speed stellar imaging and local vertical estimation will enable the system to estimate the platform position in a geodetic frame of reference. As a result, this system offers position estimates similar to those of precision navigation systems while being compact and lightweight, which directly addresses the Air Force requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the ALOEN system by conducting extensive analysis, simulations, and combinations of laboratory and field tests of critical technologies. In Phase II, POC plans to continue development of the system, build a system-level prototype, perform extensive field testing to demonstrate navigation precision similar to that of GPS, and deliver the prototypes and a comprehensive report, including simulations, to the Air Force. BENEFIT: The proposed ALOEN system will provide a high-altitude platform with the capability to estimate its geodetic position with GPS-like accuracy in a GPS-denied environment. This will allow the platform to perform accurate and reliable mid-course navigation corrections to minimize target location errors. For military applications, this system could act as a backup to a GPS system on a weapon, UAV, or even a high-altitude manned aircraft. In the commercial sector, the proposed system could be used as a backup to GPS on passenger as well as cargo aircraft. NASA could use this system for its high-altitude vehicles, as well as for navigation on the lunar surface or surfaces of other planets where a GPS constellation has not been set up.