NASA tests first-of-its-kind GPS-free navigation in orbit

Starling’s cameras were built to answer a simple question: which way is the spacecraft pointing? In NASA’s new FALCON experiment, they took on a harder task, identifying satellites and orbital debris so the spacecraft could determine where it was without relying on GPS.

The system compares what Starling sees with an onboard catalog containing about 20,000 space objects and their predicted orbits. FALCON combines EraDrive’s Era-Core flight software with Starling’s cameras and catalog, allowing the spacecraft to estimate its own position while also updating the predicted locations of objects around it.

The test ran for three days. Without intervention from operators on Earth, FALCON improved the known orbits of more than 200 objects. NASA said those onboard estimates became more accurate than the existing catalog data, giving the experiment a role beyond navigation.

Concretely, that could help spacecraft monitor traffic and avoid collisions while reducing dependence on ground infrastructure. The need becomes sharper farther from Earth: GPS signals are not designed to provide reliable navigation around the Moon or in deep space, where future lunar and planetary missions will need alternatives.

NASA plans to extend the experiment later this year through Starling’s four-spacecraft swarm, which will share tracking information and collectively refine its positions. Such coordination could support satellite swarms around the Moon and distributed science missions that combine measurements gathered from different locations. The results come from a flight experiment led by NASA’s Ames Research Center with EraDrive; they do not yet describe a deployed navigation service.