Optically-Aided Non-Global Positioning System for Aircraft Over Water

Polaris Sensor Technologies, Inc. has developed a technology called Sky Polarization Azimuth Sensing System (SkyPASS) which utilizes a polarization map of the sky and the position of the sun to determine heading with a confidence metric that predicts the RMS heading error to within ±1 mrad. While constraining heading to high accuracy greatly reduces position drift, the celestial technology utilized in SkyPASS in combination with Polaris' developed Celestial Positioning Algorithm (CPA) can provide an estimate of fixed global position by constraining position error using SkyPASS and INS outputs.  In this Phase II Base + Option effort, Polaris proposes to design, build, and test a SkyPASS Celestial Positioning System with nighttime capability (SkyPASS Gen3-N-CPS). This sensor will enhance SkyPASS' current Gen3 heading technology and it will be designed specifically for moving platforms such as an aircraft over water application. SkyPASS Gen3-N-CPS will be a passive, celestial-based sensor that will allow the US Navy to develop and maintain awareness of its location on the earth’s surface without using GPS. It is a complementary solution to use when GPS and visual-aided solutions fail.