NASA tests GPS-free navigation using other satellites and space debris as landmarks

Starling tested GPS-free navigation using onboard cameras to track space objects. (Credit: NASA) NASA has tested a navigation system that allows satellites to determine their position without relying on GPS. Instead of depending on an external navigation network, the system uses other spacecraft and orbital debris as reference points to work out where a satellite is in space.The technology, called FALCON, was tested as part of NASA’s Starling mission. FALCON stands for Fast Autonomous Lost-in-space Catalog-based Optical Navigation. According to Science Daily, during the demonstration, the system not only helped a spacecraft determine its own orbit but also improved the estimated orbits of more than 200 other space objects in just three days.The test is aimed at making spacecraft more independent. GPS signals that satellites use near Earth can become weak, unreliable or unavailable around the Moon and in deep space. A system that allows spacecraft to navigate using objects they can observe could therefore support missions that cannot depend on GPS.The FALCON experiment used Starling’s onboard cameras and a catalogue of known satellites and other space objects. The cameras, which are...