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Completed TRL 3 (started at 3, targeting 3)
The Multi-spacecraft Autonomous Positioning System (MAPS) is a breakthrough approach to autonomous space navigation. MAPS takes advantage of the existing and expanding communication network among spacecraft and surface assets and provides a "GPS anywhere"-like capability throughout the solar system. This is achieved by embedding navigation data into the digital communication packets being sent between assets, allowing for any communication pass to also serve as a positioning update for the onboard state estimation algorithms. By utilizing frequent communications between assets in the network, each asset is able to frequently update and improve its onboard state estimate, providing a GPS-like positioning update.
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