Planetary Landing Dynamic Test Facility: Design and Applications

In an effort to bridge the gap between software simulation and expensive full-scale hardware-in-the-loop tests, an innovative Landing Dynamic Test Facility was designed and built. This facility reproduces landing trajectories in a lab environment using an industrial robot mounted on a linear rail. The facility was originally designed to validate a Lidar-based autonomous guidance, navigation and control system for Mars landing. However, its time and spatial scaling capabilities make it compatible with a variety of celestial bodies (Moon, asteroids, etc.) and sensors (e.g. camera). This paper presents the design of the facility as well as examples of its use in particular landing applications.