PIC Optical Network for High-Efficiency Navigation Doppler Lidar

The Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) is used during the phase of Entry Descent and Landing (EDL) in which terrain-relative decisions and final preparations for landing are made. Lander maneuvers include vehicle reorientation to facilitate surface relative sensing, using propulsion to divert away from sensed hazards, or navigate to designated landing site. During EDL, precise knowledge of the spacecraft state, as well as the properties of the landing area, are critically important. An innovative NDL is proposed that significantly reduces power, mass, and volume, while improving system performance, meeting or exceeding requirements for precision GNamp;C. The proposed innovation fuses a high power capable electro-optic system-on-chip into the NDL fiber lidar network to create a unique lidar ideally suited for ranging and 3-axis velocimetry. Additionally, more options are available in terms of telescope mounting, redundancy, and sensor measurement availability during different stages of a landing trajectory.