JPL is a research and development center funded by the federal government, and managed by the California Institute of Technology on behalf of NASA. Among other achievements, it developed the United State’s first earth-orbiting satellite for scientific research, and sent robotic missions into space to study asteroids and the solar system.
In early October 2016, NASA announced that it tested a new vision landing system for its next rover mission to Mars. JPL is leading the development for the space agency’s Mars 2020 rover and the Lander Vision System (LVS). The test actually took place in late 2014.
The prototype vision system was launched 1,066 feet above the ground on board a rocket-propelled test platform. The prototype assisted in guiding the rocket to an accurate landing at a predetermined location.
The LVS navigation system is camera-based. It photographs the features beneath a landing spacecraft and compares it with onboard maps enabling the spacecraft to find its location relative to boulders, outcroppings, and other landing hazards.
To avoid such hazards, previous Mars landings have been done on flat and wide-open locations, which are often far from areas of high scientific interest. This new capability will allow future landings to be performed in locations that are more hazardous, but of much greater interest to geologists and other scientists.