The Terminal Descent Lidar System and components thereof can be used in many NASA missions serving various tasks. As proposed, the sensor would be an integral part of the navigation suite of sensors needed to provide precision landing of payloads at locations of high scientific value, for human and robotic missions. In addition to navigation state estimates during the terminal descent phase, the sensor may provide terrain maps from high altitudes, used for terrain relative navigation. From Earth orbit, a modified version of this sensor would be ideal for precision altimetry missions like ICESat, ICESat-2, or GEDI.
Non-NASA applications of the sensor and/or sensor components include services sought out by other civilian local, state, or federal government organizations such as NOAA, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, to name a few, for topographical mapping, vegetation coverage, wildlife conservation, or organizations in DoD for applications such as smart weapons terrain relative navigation, or aircraft navigation in GPS deprived environments.
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