Post on 30-Jul-2022
NAVIGATING TO SPACE AND BACK
AT BLUE ORIGIN
Wouter PelgrumPrincipal navigation engineer
L I V I N G A N D W O R K I N G I N S P A C E T O B E N E F I T E A R T H
O U R V I S I O N
R A D I C A L L A U N C HC O S T R E D U C T I O N
O N E
I N - S P A C ER E S O U R C E S
T W O
NEW SHEPARD NEW GLENN ENGINES ADP
L A U N C H . L A N D . R E P E A T .
S U B - O R B I T A L R O C K E T
S U B - O R B I T A L R O C K E T
L A U N C H . L A N D . R E P E A T .
J U L Y 2 0 , 2 0 2 1
P a y l o a d m i s s i o n s – f o r e x a m p l e :N A S A T i p p i n g P o i n t p a r t n e r s h i p - D e o r b i t , D e s c e n t , a n d L a n d i n g S e n s o r D e m o n s t r a t i o n O c t o b e r 1 3 , 2 0 2 0
O R B I T A L R O C K E T
O R B I T A L R O C K E T
Decreased Costs, Increased Access• Reusable first stage for ≥ 25 missions.• Powered by seven BE-4 engines• Seven-meter fairing → 2x payload of 5-meter class• 13 metric tons to GTO, 45 metric tons to LEO• Launches and lands in 95% of weather conditions.
F O R S U S T A I N E D P R E S E N C E O N T H E M O O N
L U N A R T R A N S P O R T
National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institutionhttps://timeandnavigation.si.edu/multimedia-asset/navigation-in-space
Solving the Navigation ChallengeWide range of navigation needs:- New Shepard (sub-orbital, landing),
New Glenn (orbital, landing), Blue Moon (travel to the moon, descent, hazard avoidance, landing), orbital, rendezvous–docking, etc.
Find new creative solutions:- Lower cost- Higher performance- Scalable
The old way?
Navigation SensorsExample sensors:- IMU- GNSS- Star tracker- Vision- RADAR- LIDAR- RF ranging- Precision clock
Unique space environment & requirements:- Radiation- Shock & vibe- Temperature- Design assurance
Space proven, radiation hardened?
COTS?
https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/NASA_Technology_Enab
les_Precision_Landing_Without_a_Pilot
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Navigating New Glenn
Navigating New Glenn - Landing!
Landing New Glenn:• On a moving landing vessel • 1000 km downrange• In heavy sea states• In 95% of weather conditions
Or how I explain the challenge to friends and family:“Landing a 20-story building that drops down from space, on a picnic blanket on the deck of an ocean freighter in stormy seas”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacklyn_(ship)
https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/11/blue-origin-new-glenn-overview-pad-landing-ship-dev/
https://flaports.org/port-of-pensacola-innovates-for-the-future/
Internal – Blue Origin Proprietary Information – Blue Origin and Trusted Partners, Subject to Export Control XXXX-XX-XX-DRAFT 14
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-mission-ns-13-launch-updates
Internal – Blue Origin Proprietary Information – Blue Origin and Trusted Partners, Subject to Export Control XXXX-XX-XX-DRAFT 15
https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-mission-ns-13-launch-updates
Precision Lunar Landing System ACO (L2S ACO)Project Overview
Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to evaluate and mature a navigation and
guidance system for lunar missions to enable safe and precise landing.
Technical Approach
Leverage NASA investments in sensors, avionics, algorithms, simulation tools
along with flight test data to develop and test integrated navigation and guidance system technology for the Moon.
Results/Summary
System Studies: Performed integrated safe landing and cis-lunar optical trade studies
Guidance: Simulated flight under NASA’s DQG algorithm and results are currently approaching real-time performance
Compute: HWIL testing & performance metrics for TRN & DQG were obtained. Results driving performance improvements.
Hazard Detection: Created a hazard detection algorithm and baselined safe site selection capability
Optical Navigation: Created the Blue Origin in-house optical navigation algorithm capability for autonomous cis-lunar navigation
Advanced Real-Time
Guidance
High Performance
ComputingHazard Detection Optical NavigationSystems Requirements
Trade Studieshttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210021140/downloads/L2S%20ACO%20Poster.pptx.pdf
Precision Lunar Landing System ACO (L2S ACO)Project Overview
Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to evaluate and mature a navigation and
guidance system for lunar missions to enable safe and precise landing.
Technical Approach
Leverage NASA investments in sensors, avionics, algorithms, simulation tools
along with flight test data to develop and test integrated navigation and guidance system technology for the Moon.
Results/Summary
System Studies: Performed integrated safe landing and cis-lunar optical trade studies
Guidance: Simulated flight under NASA’s DQG algorithm and results are currently approaching real-time performance
Compute: HWIL testing & performance metrics for TRN & DQG were obtained. Results driving performance improvements.
Hazard Detection: Created a hazard detection algorithm and baselined safe site selection capability
Optical Navigation: Created the Blue Origin in-house optical navigation algorithm capability for autonomous cis-lunar navigation
Advanced Real-Time
Guidance
High Performance
ComputingHazard Detection Optical NavigationSystems Requirements
Trade Studieshttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210021140/downloads/L2S%20ACO%20Poster.pptx.pdf
Precision Lunar Landing System ACO (L2S ACO)Project Overview
Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to evaluate and mature a navigation and
guidance system for lunar missions to enable safe and precise landing.
Technical Approach
Leverage NASA investments in sensors, avionics, algorithms, simulation tools
along with flight test data to develop and test integrated navigation and guidance system technology for the Moon.
Results/Summary
System Studies: Performed integrated safe landing and cis-lunar optical trade studies
Guidance: Simulated flight under NASA’s DQG algorithm and results are currently approaching real-time performance
Compute: HWIL testing & performance metrics for TRN & DQG were obtained. Results driving performance improvements.
Hazard Detection: Created a hazard detection algorithm and baselined safe site selection capability
Optical Navigation: Created the Blue Origin in-house optical navigation algorithm capability for autonomous cis-lunar navigation
Advanced Real-Time
Guidance
High Performance
ComputingHazard Detection Optical NavigationSystems Requirements
Trade Studieshttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210021140/downloads/L2S%20ACO%20Poster.pptx.pdf
Precision Lunar Landing System ACO (L2S ACO)Project Overview
Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to evaluate and mature a navigation and
guidance system for lunar missions to enable safe and precise landing.
Technical Approach
Leverage NASA investments in sensors, avionics, algorithms, simulation tools
along with flight test data to develop and test integrated navigation and guidance system technology for the Moon.
Results/Summary
System Studies: Performed integrated safe landing and cis-lunar optical trade studies
Guidance: Simulated flight under NASA’s DQG algorithm and results are currently approaching real-time performance
Compute: HWIL testing & performance metrics for TRN & DQG were obtained. Results driving performance improvements.
Hazard Detection: Created a hazard detection algorithm and baselined safe site selection capability
Optical Navigation: Created the Blue Origin in-house optical navigation algorithm capability for autonomous cis-lunar navigation
Advanced Real-Time
Guidance
High Performance
ComputingHazard Detection Optical NavigationSystems Requirements
Trade Studieshttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210021140/downloads/L2S%20ACO%20Poster.pptx.pdf
Precision Lunar Landing System ACO (L2S ACO)Project Overview
Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to evaluate and mature a navigation and
guidance system for lunar missions to enable safe and precise landing.
Technical Approach
Leverage NASA investments in sensors, avionics, algorithms, simulation tools
along with flight test data to develop and test integrated navigation and guidance system technology for the Moon.
Results/Summary
System Studies: Performed integrated safe landing and cis-lunar optical trade studies
Guidance: Simulated flight under NASA’s DQG algorithm and results are currently approaching real-time performance
Compute: HWIL testing & performance metrics for TRN & DQG were obtained. Results driving performance improvements.
Hazard Detection: Created a hazard detection algorithm and baselined safe site selection capability
Optical Navigation: Created the Blue Origin in-house optical navigation algorithm capability for autonomous cis-lunar navigation
Advanced Real-Time
Guidance
High Performance
ComputingHazard Detection Optical NavigationSystems Requirements
Trade Studieshttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210021140/downloads/L2S%20ACO%20Poster.pptx.pdf
Precision Lunar Landing System ACO (L2S ACO)Project Overview
Blue Origin is partnering with NASA to evaluate and mature a navigation and
guidance system for lunar missions to enable safe and precise landing.
Technical Approach
Leverage NASA investments in sensors, avionics, algorithms, simulation tools
along with flight test data to develop and test integrated navigation and guidance system technology for the Moon.
Results/Summary
System Studies: Performed integrated safe landing and cis-lunar optical trade studies
Guidance: Simulated flight under NASA’s DQG algorithm and results are currently approaching real-time performance
Compute: HWIL testing & performance metrics for TRN & DQG were obtained. Results driving performance improvements.
Hazard Detection: Created a hazard detection algorithm and baselined safe site selection capability
Optical Navigation: Created the Blue Origin in-house optical navigation algorithm capability for autonomous cis-lunar navigation
Advanced Real-Time
Guidance
High Performance
ComputingHazard Detection Optical NavigationSystems Requirements
Trade Studieshttps://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20210021140/downloads/L2S%20ACO%20Poster.pptx.pdf
Navigating to Space and Back at Blue Origin
Algorithms
YOU?Wouter PelgrumWPelgrum@blueorigin.com
Michael Sorensen MSorensen@blueorigin.com
Anthony Bell (recruiter)Abell2@blueorigin.com(253) 275-1795
W O U T E R P E L G R U MP R I N C I P A L N A V I G A T I O N E N G I N E E R