LIDAR Line-up Assessment for Upcoming Navigation Challenges to Help Ease Risk (LIDAR LAUNCHER)

Currently, surface rover navigation relies on a combination of stereo imaging, inertial measurement units (IMUs), and sun-dependent visual odometry. While these methods have proven effective in past missions, their performance is constrained by lighting conditions and can degrade in low-illumination environments. In contrast, 3D LIDAR enables lighting-independent depth sensing and provides higher spatial precision, allowing for more reliable, autonomous, and higher-speed navigation across varied terrain. Despite the widespread availability of terrestrial LIDAR systems and prior investments by STMD, no past NASA surface rover mission has selected LIDAR as a primary navigation sensor. In cases where LIDAR is being considered, particularly in commercial lunar missions, current implementations often rely on unproven terrestrial systems with limited environmental qualifications. This results in considerable residual risk on the transition to flight readiness. LIDAR Line-up Assessment for Upcoming Navigation Challenges to Help Ease Risk (LIDAR LAUNCHER), is an initiative to survey, test, and road-map 3D LIDAR solutions for surface mobility missions. The objective is to bring together a broad set of stakeholders from sensor builders to mission developers to identify technical needs, assess performance gaps through quantitative testing, and establish a clear path for LIDAR technology maturation and infusion into future commercial and NASA missions. The expected impact of this effort is multifaceted. It will provide STMD with valuable insights to inform future investments in LIDAR technology maturation. By enabling direct collaboration between LIDAR developers and mission teams through shared facetime and test data, the project supports the identification of high-potential, near-term navigation applications while helping to mitigate adoption risks. Furthermore, this project aims to foster a nascent planetary ‘autonomous driving’ community between NASA and industry, acting as a force multiplier for future navigation development through the public release of best practices, performance metrics, interfaces, test data, and software.

​The LIDAR LAUNCHER project directly addresses a longstanding strategic need for advanced rover LIDAR systems for surface rover missions, a priority dating back at least to the 2015 Resource Prospector LIDAR RFI, which called out a use case for permanently shadowed regions. It is aligned with the FY25 “Flight-Forward Robotic Navigation Sensors” STMD Center Call topic, which called for a comprehensive survey, test, and development effort to generate quantitative data supporting STMD’s sensor investment and maturation roadmap. The project’s structured three-phase approach responds to this mandate. It targets the following NASA Technology Taxonomies: TX08.1.5 – Lasers, TX10.1.1 – Sensing and Perception for Autonomous Systems, and TX17.2.3 – Navigation Sensors. The project also supports multiple STMD-identified shortfalls. As LIDAR sensors are pervasive to modern ground systems that require navigation, LIDAR LAUNCHER will have wide-reaching benefit to future science rovers, human mobility systems, resource utilization systems and beyond. The expected impact of this effort is multifaceted.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.