Open-Loop Performance of COBALT Precision Landing Payload on a Commercial Sub-Orbital Rocket

Abstract

An open-loop flight test campaign of the NASA COBALT (CoOperative Blending of Autonomous Landing Technologies) platform was conducted onboard the Masten Xodiac suborbital rocket testbed. The COBALT platform integrates NASA Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) sensing technologies for autonomous, precise soft landing, including the Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) velocity and range sensor and the Lander Vision System (LVS) Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) system. A specialized navigation filter running onboard COBALT fuses the NDL and LVS data in real time to produce a navigation solution that is independent of GPS and suitable for future, autonomous, planetary, landing systems. COBALT was a passive payload during the open loop tests. COBALT's sensors were actively taking data and processing it in real time, but the Xodiac rocket flew with its own GPS-navigation system as a risk reduction activity in the maturation of the technologies towards spaceflight. A future closed-loop test campaign is planned where the COBALT navigation solution will be used to fly its host vehicle.

GPS-Based Rocket Payload Position Tracking System

“…Rocket payload is a substance that is carried inside the rocket, either as a dynamic payload from the rocket itself, or certain data that is the result of sensing and data collection for meteorological, military, mapping, or other purposes (Kelechi et al, 2021;Restrepo et al, 2018). The systems within the rocket payload deal not only with the specific onboard technology and radio systems assigned to convey mission objectives, but also the supporting ground equipment and telecommunication systems through which the spacecraft payload is controlled and results communicated to mission control (Mudarris, Basirung & Sumariyanto, 2022).…”