Entry, Descent, and Landing GN&C System Evaluation via Cable-Driven Emulation Robotics

An innovative cable-driven parallel robot named the Six Degree-of-Freedom Tendon Actu-
ated Robot (STAR), recently developed by researchers at NASA Johnson Space Center, was
built to enable entry, descent, and landing (EDL) emulation experiments. Upon functional
testing and system verification, STAR employed several simulated EDL trajectories to validate
velocimeter LIDAR-based sensor models for cooperative terrain relative navigation applica-
tions for its first testing campaign. The STAR lab also hosted researchers from Astrobotic to
evaluate the real-time performance of a newly developed sensor payload, UltraNav, through
hardware in-the-loop-testing (HWIL). This work introduces the STAR system along with its
accompanying testing utilities and capabilities, and deliver the experimental methodology and
results of test campaigns performed with the STAR facility to date.