Local Navigation in Lunar Polar Regions with COMPASS, LunaCell, and Mobile Ad Hoc Geodesy (original) (raw)

Local Navigation in Lunar Polar Regions with COMPASS, LunaCell, and Mobile Ad Hoc Geodesy

Introduction: With the recent expansion of plans for lunar exploration there has been increased interest in support of operations at and near the Moon (i.e., in Cislunar Space), including robotic and crewed missions to the lunar polar regions. Real time navigation and communication will be especially difficult on the heavily shadowed lunar polar regions, given the bad lighting, the frequent lack of line of sight to the Earth, the extreme Geometrical Dilution of Precision (GDOP) for any use of terrestrial GPS and the lack, at least in the near term, of continual overhead satellite coverage. Unlike the Apollo surface Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVAs), future astronauts on polar surface EVAs will need local relays to communicate with the home base, and to perform local navigation, and communication beyond the local line of sight to a central lander.