Latest news with #FireflyBlueGhost
Associated Press
04-04-2025
- Science
- Associated Press
Space-ng Demonstrates AstroVision and Lunar Optical Navigation at the 40th Space Symposium
Space-ng optical navigation software provides terrain relative navigation, hazard detection, and attitude determination from lunar orbit to the surface, as demonstrated by the recent success of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 (BGM1) landing at Mare Crisium. The technology used in this mission, and its capabilities regarding other computer vision applications for space systems, will be presented in video and interactive displays at the Space-ng Booth #SS208. AstroVision hardware, currently undergoing qualification testing, will also be demonstrated at the Space-ng booth. AstroVision was developed by Space-ng to host the powerful software that will drive next generation computer vision applications for space systems. This includes the spacecraft equivalent of level 5 self driving, proven by Firefly on BGM1, with optical navigation support from Space-ng. Attendees at the 40th Space Symposium will include Space-ng Founder and CEO Ethan Rublee as well as Co-Founder and Chief Engineer Steve Bailey. Space-ng is on a mission to provide computer vision, optical navigation, and autonomous operations across the solar system, as well as returning cinematic experiences and imagery from pioneering space missions. Space-ng's Role in the Historic Firefly Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Mission On March 2nd, as Blue Ghost descended to Mare Crisium, Space-ng's software processed camera images, comparing them to a 3D, geospatially accurate, onboard lunar digital terrain map and dynamically correcting the vehicle's navigation solution. In the final moments before touchdown, the system identified hazardous terrain like slopes, rocks, and craters and autonomously re-directed the lander to a safe site - ensuring a soft, precise landing. Future Vision Based Navigation Systems In future applications, Space-ng software will be hosted on Space-ng's AstroVision hardware. AstroVision combines advanced optical sensors, high-speed remote data transmission, high-performance computing, and neural engine processing to enable the use of computer vision and machine learning algorithms using physics-based visual reasoning. AstroVision provides quaternions and state vectors from Earth orbit to the surface of the Moon absent of GPS and radio communication, supporting Alt PNT cislunar spaceflight, as well as lunar orbit, landing and surface operations. AstroVision combines Space-ng's expertise in vision-based navigation software with space-qualified hardware that includes an 8 core CPU as well as hardware acceleration including an Image Signal Processor (ISP), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and an AI/Neural Network Engine. AstroVision includes up to 12 configurable high-resolution Camera Modules, each with sensors and optics tailored to users needs, and each located up to 15 meters from the AstroVision Base Unit. This multi-headed vision system provides all-sky coverage eliminating the need for spacecraft maneuvers or attitude constraints in acquiring and tracking the Sun or stars. This innovative approach to position and attitude determination uses both bright objects like the Sun, Earth, and Moon and dim objects, such as stars and distant planets, to produce a precise state vector solution without relying on conventional sun sensors, star trackers, GPS, two-way-radio ranging, or ground-in-the-loop approaches. Each of the twelve AstroVision global or rolling shutter imagers comes with a user-selectable field of view, 12 Mpixel resolution, up to 6 Gbps bandwidth, and internal IMU, weighing in at only 150 grams apiece. The AstroVision Hardware and Software Ecosystem Space-ng is taking orders for AstroVision hardware, with first flight hardware delivery in Q3 of 2025 and with EDU hardware now available. AstroVision hardware supports many use cases ranging from science imaging and video documentation to spacecraft automation such as rendezvous, proximity operations, manufacturing, assembly, security, and space situational awareness. As a software-defined system with an open architecture model with standard APIs, the flight software may be licensed from Space-ng, or developed by the customer to suit their needs. AstroVision comes with hardware and software supporting each stage of the spacecraft development life cycle, including design & development, test & integration, mission operations, and overall cyber-security. This includes real time simulation, electrical ground support equipment, command and telemetry, and Over the Air (OTA) updates. Space-ng can provide dedicated support through delivery and integration, or all the way to mission success. 'Optical navigation is critical in situations where you need precise maneuvering and a GPS signal is not available,' said Will Coogan, Chief Engineer at Firefly Aerospace. 'We chose Space-ng for the Blue Ghost mission to the Moon because their software provides a precision landing location on the lunar surface that avoids hazardous obstacles like rocks and craters. Space-ng provides excellent support and expertise, and we look forward to working with them for future missions to the Moon and beyond!' Media Contact: Please contact [email protected] for additional requests for information or media contact. Space-ng is developing revolutionary machine vision hardware and software for Civil, Commercial, and Defense customers. To learn more about Space-ng visit where you'll find the answers to your most common questions as well as contact information on how to customize AstroVision for your mission.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Opinion - Missed shots at the moon are still scores for commercial space companies
The next phase of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services moon exploration program began on Jan. 15, with the launch of the Firefly Blue Ghost. It continued with the launch of the Intuitive Machines Athena lander on Feb. 26. Since the Blue Ghost also had the iSpace Resilience lander as a rideshare, at one point three spacecraft were headed for the lunar surface. Firefly's Blue Ghost landed in the Mare Crisium, northeast of the Sea of Tranquility, in what was described as a clockwork landing with no anomalies in the early morning hours of March 2. Firefly engineers immediately began activating the 10 payloads on the lander for a 14-day campaign of scientific discovery. Intuitive Machines IM-2 Athena touched down on the moon's Mons Mouton region of the lunar south pole on Thursday. Its main mission will be to hunt for lunar ice, a crucial resource needed by future moon explorers. Unfortunately, as with the first Intuitive Machines landing attempt, the Athena proved to be an incomplete success. 'We don't believe we're in the correct attitude' on the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said. Later it was found that Athena had landed in a nearby crater and tipped over. As of this writing, it is uncertain how much science can be returned from the mission. Intuitive Machines reports that given 'the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels and extreme cold temperatures in the crater,' it does not expect Athena to recharge. The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission. Athena includes a mini-rover called MAPP, which was designed to collect samples from the vicinity of the lander. MAPP also would take 3-D images and video for transmission to Earth. The probe also carries a hopper vehicle named Grace, named after Adm. Grace Hopper, a pioneering software engineer. Grace uses thrusters to venture from place to place in the vicinity of the landing site, including inside a permanently shadowed crater that may contain water ice. The Athena probe comes equipped with several instruments including the Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) and the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo). The probe also contains 4-G cellular equipment developed by Nokia and NASA to provide more bandwidth communications than ever before from the lunar surface. Along with the unsuccessful Astrobotic Peregrine and the partially successful Intuitive Machines Odysseus missions of early 2024, it looks like the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program still has mixed results, with one unsuccessful attempt, two partially successful attempts and one entirely successful. The original assumption was that commercial lunar landings would be, to use a basketball term, 'shots on goal' with some of them failing. Obviously, the more successful missions there are, the more lunar exploration advances. The four Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions (so far) do offer proof of the SpaceX effect, how the drastic lowering of launch costs by Elon Musk's launch company has enabled more commercial missions. The Astrobotic Peregrine was launched by a Vulcan Centaur, but the subsequent three were lofted to the moon by SpaceX Falcon 9s. Even though Musk regards the moon as a 'distraction' to his desire to go to Mars, his launch company has enabled lunar exploration as never before. The next two Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions, scheduled to occur later this year, the Astrobotic Griffin and Intuitive Machines' next lander, dubbed Prism, will also launch on SpaceX Falcon rockets. Other Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions are scheduled for the next few years. Resilience, the Japanese lander that caught a ride on the Blue Ghost launch, is due to land on the moon no earlier than June 2025. Unless NASA undertakes a Musk-inspired pivot away from the moon and exclusively toward Mars, human beings will follow the Commercial Lunar Payload Services robot explorers, The Artemis II crewed lunar circumnavigation mission is scheduled for 2026. Artemis III, so long as it is undertaken, will be a world-historic event toward which all of these missions are leading. Currently, the first crewed moon landing in 55 years is scheduled for 2027. The next crewed moon landing will be the greatest and most followed event (so far) of the 21st century. Just as Apollo 11 provided a balm to all the turmoil and chaos of the 1960s, Artemis III will provide the same service for the current century, which started with the attacks on 9/11 and, in some measure, has only gone downhill since. And that will only be the beginning if we follow wise policy. A lunar settlement would be a center of commerce, science and technological innovation that would enrich our civilization beyond the power of evaluation. The conquest of the moon, not to mention Mars and beyond, will help to ensure the rest of the 21st century is much better than the first 25 years have been. Mark R. Whittington is the author of 'Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?' as well as 'The Moon, Mars and Beyond,' and, most recently, 'Why is America Going Back to the Moon?' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Opinion - Missed shots at the moon are still scores for commercial space companies
The next phase of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services moon exploration program began on Jan. 15, with the launch of the Firefly Blue Ghost. It continued with the launch of the Intuitive Machines Athena lander on Feb. 26. Since the Blue Ghost also had the iSpace Resilience lander as a rideshare, at one point three spacecraft were headed for the lunar surface. Firefly's Blue Ghost landed in the Mare Crisium, northeast of the Sea of Tranquility, in what was described as a clockwork landing with no anomalies in the early morning hours of March 2. Firefly engineers immediately began activating the 10 payloads on the lander for a 14-day campaign of scientific discovery. Intuitive Machines IM-2 Athena touched down on the moon's Mons Mouton region of the lunar south pole on Thursday. Its main mission will be to hunt for lunar ice, a crucial resource needed by future moon explorers. Unfortunately, as with the first Intuitive Machines landing attempt, the Athena proved to be an incomplete success. 'We don't believe we're in the correct attitude' on the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said. Later it was found that Athena had landed in a nearby crater and tipped over. As of this writing, it is uncertain how much science can be returned from the mission. Intuitive Machines reports that given 'the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels and extreme cold temperatures in the crater,' it does not expect Athena to recharge. The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission. Athena includes a mini-rover called MAPP, which was designed to collect samples from the vicinity of the lander. MAPP also would take 3-D images and video for transmission to Earth. The probe also carries a hopper vehicle named Grace, named after Adm. Grace Hopper, a pioneering software engineer. Grace uses thrusters to venture from place to place in the vicinity of the landing site, including inside a permanently shadowed crater that may contain water ice. The Athena probe comes equipped with several instruments including the Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) and the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo). The probe also contains 4-G cellular equipment developed by Nokia and NASA to provide more bandwidth communications than ever before from the lunar surface. Along with the unsuccessful Astrobotic Peregrine and the partially successful Intuitive Machines Odysseus missions of early 2024, it looks like the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program still has mixed results, with one unsuccessful attempt, two partially successful attempts and one entirely successful. The original assumption was that commercial lunar landings would be, to use a basketball term, 'shots on goal' with some of them failing. Obviously, the more successful missions there are, the more lunar exploration advances. The four Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions (so far) do offer proof of the SpaceX effect, how the drastic lowering of launch costs by Elon Musk's launch company has enabled more commercial missions. The Astrobotic Peregrine was launched by a Vulcan Centaur, but the subsequent three were lofted to the moon by SpaceX Falcon 9s. Even though Musk regards the moon as a 'distraction' to his desire to go to Mars, his launch company has enabled lunar exploration as never before. The next two Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions, scheduled to occur later this year, the Astrobotic Griffin and Intuitive Machines' next lander, dubbed Prism, will also launch on SpaceX Falcon rockets. Other Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions are scheduled for the next few years. Resilience, the Japanese lander that caught a ride on the Blue Ghost launch, is due to land on the moon no earlier than June 2025. Unless NASA undertakes a Musk-inspired pivot away from the moon and exclusively toward Mars, human beings will follow the Commercial Lunar Payload Services robot explorers, The Artemis II crewed lunar circumnavigation mission is scheduled for 2026. Artemis III, so long as it is undertaken, will be a world-historic event toward which all of these missions are leading. Currently, the first crewed moon landing in 55 years is scheduled for 2027. The next crewed moon landing will be the greatest and most followed event (so far) of the 21st century. Just as Apollo 11 provided a balm to all the turmoil and chaos of the 1960s, Artemis III will provide the same service for the current century, which started with the attacks on 9/11 and, in some measure, has only gone downhill since. And that will only be the beginning if we follow wise policy. A lunar settlement would be a center of commerce, science and technological innovation that would enrich our civilization beyond the power of evaluation. The conquest of the moon, not to mention Mars and beyond, will help to ensure the rest of the 21st century is much better than the first 25 years have been. Mark R. Whittington is the author of 'Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon?' as well as 'The Moon, Mars and Beyond,' and, most recently, 'Why is America Going Back to the Moon?' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
