A coherent Doppler lidar has been developed to support future NASA missions to planetary bodies. The lidar transmits three laser beams and measures line-of-sight range and velocity along each beam using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) technique. Accurate altitude and velocity vector data, derived from the line-of-sight measurements, enables the landing vehicle to precisely navigate from several kilometers above the ground to the designated location and execute a gentle touchdown. The same lidar sensor can also benefit terrestrial applications that cannot rely on GPS or require surface-relative altitude and velocity data.
Coherent Doppler Lidar for Measuring Velocity and Altitude of Space and Aerial Vehicles
Coherent Laser Radar Conference ; 2016 ; Boulder, CO, United States
2016-06-26
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Keine Angabe
Englisch