Celestial navigation in GNSS denied environment for aircrafts and space rovers

In order to enable an autonomous navigation capability in environments where Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are either denied (e.g., areas with intentional jamming or spoofing) or not available yet (Moon, Mars), Sodern is currently developing star trackers for Earth-based aircrafts and space rovers. This system is designed to compensate for inertial sensors (IMU) induced drifts by providing an absolute attitude reference. The resulting celestial navigation system (CNS) aims at providing a position evaluation with a 100 meters class precision, independent of the mission duration. In this paper, we present the star tracker design with a specific focus on daytime capabilities and the hybridization strategy to implement the retrieved celestial attitude in the CNS. Additionally, we present two application cases currently under development at Sodern, for space rovers and aircrafts. We evaluate the typical performances that can be reached depending on the IMU and star tracker class in harsh environments (luminance, dynamics, radiations…). We conclude with a brief presentation of future developments in this field.