NASA Starling Demonstrates GPS-Free Orbit Navigation With 20,000-Object Catalog, Extending Mission to 2028
Updated
Updated · Space.com · Aug 25
NASA Starling Demonstrates GPS-Free Orbit Navigation With 20,000-Object Catalog, Extending Mission to 2028
2 articles · Updated · Space.com · Aug 25
Summary
Four Starling cubesats in low Earth orbit have autonomously determined their own orbit without GPS, using optical cameras to identify other satellites and space objects as reference points.
FALCON — software developed with EraDrive — matched observations against an onboard catalog of roughly 20,000 publicly listed objects, a first for optical-camera self-orbit determination, NASA said.
Over three days, the system also refined the paths of 200 objects beyond Defense Department catalog estimates, highlighting potential uses in onboard space-traffic monitoring and collision avoidance.
NASA extended the three-year technology demo to at least 2028 as it studies navigation for lunar swarms, cislunar operations and later Mars missions, where GPS coverage is unavailable.