Astrobotic's Autonomous Landing System Tested in Masten's Xombie Flight
Astrobotic Technology's newly developed autonomous landing system was put to the test recently when it controlled Masten Space Systems' XA-0.1B Xombie suborbital technology demonstration rocket during a flight test at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
Astrobotic's system designed to avoid terrain hazards while safely landing a spacecraft at a specific location on a asteroid, moon or planet.
The June 20 test funded by the Flight Opportunities Program of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate saw the vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing Xombie ascend to about 853 feet in 25 seconds. Using cameras and an inertial measurement unit for navigation, the Astrobotic Autolanding System guided the vehicle to a precise landing.