A Vision-Based Lunar Navigator for Next-Generation Landers

In July of 2015, NASA published NASA Technology Roadmaps — TA9: Entry, Descent, and Landing Systems (EDL). In it, they laid out their EDL goals for the coming years: To develop new and innovative technology, not just for the moon, but also for future exploration throughout our solar system. Toward achieving these goals, NASA awarded a contract to the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, or Draper for short, to develop and test their multi-environment navigator (DMEN), which uses vision-based navigation techniques, as a means to guide small craft to land on the moon.