← Back to NASA Technology Projects
Completed TRL 4 (started at 2, targeting 4)
The Goddard Image Analysis and Navigation Tool (GIANT) is a ground-based OpNav tool that was developed for and is used by the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. It is easily extensible and suitable for the most challenging mission designs. It is written as a mixture of Python and Cython (Python code that is compiled to C code), allowing it to be both fast and easy to use. Its design also provides an analyst the ability to quickly implement novel solutions to newly discovered problems.
The objective of this IRAD is to develop a version of GIANT that is suitable for on-board navigation. This will run autonomously on-board the spacecraft to extract OpNav observables from images captured by the spacecraft and then pass the OpNav observables to an on-board navigation filter as part of a fully autonomous on-board flight system.
Optical navigation and celestial navigation (CelNav) are enabling technologies for interplanetary and small body missions. On-board OpNav/CelNav enable even more challenging missions where the light time delay is too long for ground-in-the-loop navigation, or where critical mission events need to occur when the spacecraft does not have contact with Earth. They also decrease downlink and staffing requirements because the images do not need to be sent to the ground for processing by an analyst. This greatly decreases the amount of contact that is needed for smaller missions (decreasing cost and congestion on the space networks) and increases the amount of science data that can be downlinked for larger missions because data does not need to be devoted to the navigation images.
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
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.