Kodiak 3D Lidar

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has developed a 3D lidar system that consists of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) beam steering, high performance reconfigurable computing, and an in-depth understanding of systems level integration. Kodiak combines a 3D MEMS scanning lidar with a long range narrow FOV telescope to produce a flexible and capable space flight ranging system. Also included is SpaceCube-level processing power to host a variety of algorithms enabling sensing and 6 degrees of freedom. High orbit satellite servicing and planetary science missions are presented with unique challenges, including a harsh environment and long mission life, coupled with the need for long range and high speed and accurate measurements. Conventional systems suffer from high costs of bringing other solutions to market and questionable reliability.