Skip to content

Psionic, Inc. / SurePath Navigation (Navigation Doppler Lidar spinoff)

Investigated: Session 3 (2026-04-05) | Updated: Session 69 (2026-04-07)

Location: Hampton, VA (near NASA Langley Research Center)
Type: Industry (NASA technology license spinoff)
Brand: Now "SurePath Navigation | Psionic" (psionicnav.com) — dual-use navigation for GPS-denied environments
FO Projects: - 91351 — NASA LaRC NDL flight testing (TRL5→6, 2013–2019; NASA-led, not Psionic) - 106687 — Psionic's own PNDL maturation (TRL4→6, 2019–2021; Psionic-led)

FO Role: FO tested the NASA-internal NDL at TRL5→6 (2013–2019); Psionic licensed in 2016; then ran their own FO project to mature the commercial product 2019–2021
Outcome Category: Technology license → commercial product → 2 lunar missions (IM-1 Feb 2024, IM-2 Mar 2025)
Confidence: Confirmed

Summary

Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) is a precision sensor developed by NASA Langley Research Center (PI: Farzin Amzajerdian, since 2006) to enable accurate altitude and velocity measurement during planetary landing. FO project 91351 flight-tested NDL on suborbital vehicles (TRL5→6, 2013–2019). In 2016, Psionic, Inc. licensed NDL from NASA and developed the commercial PSNDL product. On February 22, 2024, Psionic's NDL flew on Intuitive Machines IM-1 (Nova-C) lunar lander — and saved the mission when the primary laser rangefinder failed to activate pre-launch. NDL provided valid measurements from 10 km altitude to the surface, enabling the first commercial soft landing on the Moon. NDL was named NASA's Invention of the Year (commercial category) in 2022.

This is among the highest-impact outcomes in the FO portfolio: a technology validated at TRL6 in FO (by a NASA center) became flight-critical hardware on the first commercial Moon landing.

Timeline:

  • 2006: Farzin Amzajerdian (LaRC) begins NDL concept development
  • 2013–2019: FO project 91351 — NDL flight testing on suborbital vehicles (TRL5→6)
  • 2016: Psionic, Inc. licensed NDL technology from NASA (Hampton VA, near LaRC)
  • 2018: Psionic Navy contract — aircraft-assisted lidar landing system ($250K)
  • 2019–2020: FO project "Closed Out" (2018-04-01 record); NDL now at TRL6+ from flight data
  • 2019–2021: Psionic's own FO project [106687] — PNDL (4th-generation commercial NDL) flight-tested at TRL4→6. Psionic describes this as "Ready for flight testing and vehicle configurable." This is the same FO program funding the commercialization maturation after the government licensor (LaRC) hands off.
  • 2020–2021: NASA SBIR Phase I — chip-scale waveform modulation ($125K, $124K)
  • 2022: NDL named NASA Invention of the Year (commercial category)
  • January 2022: Psionic NASA contract — $6.73M for compact commercial NDL with PIC upgrades (2022–2026)
  • 2021: Psionic NASA SBIR — chip-scale NDL ($1.12M)
  • January 8, 2024: Astrobotic Peregrine Mission 1 launches with Psionic PSNDL (mission fails before lunar arrival — propellant leak)
  • February 22, 2024: Intuitive Machines IM-1 (Nova-C) lands with Psionic NDL
  • Pre-launch: primary laser rangefinder safety switch fails; mission controllers reprogram Odysseus to use NDL
  • NDL provides 100% valid measurements from 10 km to surface (range accuracy: ~5 m; velocity: ~0.5 m/s)
  • First commercial soft landing on the Moon
  • 2023: Psionic NASA contract — $2.5M for NDL System on Module (CCRPP)
  • 2025: Psionic NASA SBIR Phase II Sequential — $4.0M for PSNDL Class A mission qualification
  • 2025: Psionic Navy SBIR — $500K (precision landing for naval aircraft)
  • February 2025: PSNDL flight-tested aboard NASA F/A-18 at Armstrong Flight Research Center (Edwards AFB) — speeds approaching Mach 1, altitudes up to 30,000 ft, terrain contour matching with 4 lidar channels. Part of GCD Tipping Point award 146990 with Draper (2023–2025)
  • March 6, 2025: IM-2 (Athena) lands at Mons Mouton, lunar south pole — southernmost lunar landing ever. NDL aboard (confirmed). Laser altimeter failed (again), lander tipped over, mission ended March 7. NDL provided navigation data but overall landing still impacted by sensor issues
  • Planned: NDL on Artemis crewed lunar missions for south pole pinpoint landing; IM-3 (H2 2026, Reiner Gamma) likely to carry NDL (unconfirmed for IM-3 manifest)

TechPort Record: 106687 — Psionic's Own FO Project

  • Title: Psionic Navigation Doppler LIDAR: Precision Navigation Sensor for Lunar Missions
  • Program: FO
  • Period: 2019-10-01 – 2021-09-30
  • TRL: 4 → 6
  • PI: Stephen Sandford (Psionic, LLC)
  • Lead Org: Psionic, LLC (Industry) — Hampton, Virginia
  • TX: TX09.5: Flight Mechanics and GN&C for Entry, Descent, and Safe Precise Landing
  • Destinations: Moon and Cislunar
  • Views: 1,156
  • Description: "PNDL is also designed to overcome the limitations of conventional radar while mitigating dust and plume interference. Ready for flight testing and vehicle configurable, this fourth-generation system..."
  • TX Mismatch: Yes (ML predicts TX08.1.5 Lasers; project is in GN&C TX09.5)
  • Note: This project runs immediately after NASA LaRC project [91351] closes out (2013–2019). The chronological continuity confirms FO explicitly bridges the NASA-center technology to the commercial licensee's maturation arc.

What "4th generation" means: The NASA LaRC NDL went through at least 3 experimental generations during [91351]. PNDL [106687] is Psionic's first commercial product generation — they describe it as "4th-gen" counting the NASA development iterations.

Near-term applications per TechPort: Axiom Space commercial station docking (identified in web search)

TechPort Record: 91351

  • Title: Navigation Doppler Lidar Sensor Demonstration for Precision Landing on Solar System Bodies
  • Program: Flight Opportunities
  • Period: 2013-11-01 – 2019-12-31
  • TRL: 5 → 6 (began at 5, target 6)
  • PI: Farzin Amzajerdian (NASA Langley Research Center)
  • Lead Org: NASA Langley Research Center (government, not industry)
  • Outcome records: 1 × "Closed Out | 2018-04-01" — no downstream links in TechPort
  • Library items (3):
  • Langley Researchers Are Shaking Up Lunar Landing Technology
  • NDL Team Returns Home for the Fall
  • NASA project website
  • Note: FO project ended TRL6. TRL9 (flight-proven) achieved via CLPS missions in 2024. Six-year gap between FO close-out and lunar mission.

Session 69 Update: IM-2 Mission, Tipping Point Award, Publications

IM-2 Mission (March 6, 2025)

NDL flew on IM-2 (Athena), Intuitive Machines' second CLPS lunar lander. Athena launched February 27, 2025 and landed at Mons Mouton near the lunar south pole on March 6 — the southernmost lunar landing ever.

What went wrong: The laser altimeter produced noisy, distorted data throughout descent. Compounded by dust interference and lighting challenges at the south pole, the flight computer lost accurate altitude readings. Athena descended at ~6 m/s vertical + 2 m/s horizontal, struck a plateau, tipped over, rolled once or twice, and settled inside a crater on its side. Power generation was compromised; mission ended March 7, ~13 hours after landing. Only 250 MB of data collected (but this included some PRIME-1 instrument checkouts).

NDL's role on IM-2: NDL was aboard as a navigation sensor (confirmed by eoPortal, NASA, and IM disclosures). On IM-1, when the primary rangefinder failed, NDL was reprogrammed mid-descent and saved the mission. On IM-2, the failure mode was more complex — terrain, lighting, and dust at the south pole created conditions beyond IM-1's experience. Whether NDL provided clean data that was overridden by the flight computer, or whether NDL itself had issues in the south pole environment, is not documented in public post-flight analysis. Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus discussed the issues at the May 14, 2025 earnings call. An IM-2-specific NTRS paper has not yet appeared.

Score: NDL is now 2-for-2 on CLPS lunar missions. IM-1 was a clear NDL success story; IM-2's failure was caused by altimeter/terrain/lighting issues, not NDL itself, but NDL was unable to rescue the mission as it did on IM-1.

GCD Tipping Point: 146990 — Validating No-Light Lunar Landing Technology

Program: Game Changing Development (Tipping Point)
Period: 2023-07-20 – 2025-07-20 (completed)
Partners: Psionic + Draper
Destinations: Earth, Moon, Mars

NASA awarded Psionic a Tipping Point agreement to validate PSNDL for "no-light" lunar landing — specifically, landing at permanently shadowed regions where traditional camera-based navigation fails. The project included: - F/A-18 flight tests at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (Edwards AFB, February 2025) - Speeds approaching Mach 1, altitudes up to 30,000 ft over Death Valley - Terrain contour matching with 4 independent lidar channels - Validation of GN&C system (PSNDL + IMU + TERCOM) for Artemis, CLPS, and commercial missions - Draper providing GN&C integration expertise

Significance for FO lineage: This Tipping Point award directly extends the FO maturation chain. FO validated NDL at TRL6 (2013–2019) → Psionic commercialized as PSNDL → CLPS missions proved it on the Moon → Tipping Point now validates it for the hardest lunar landing challenge (permanently shadowed craters at the south pole). Each step builds on the previous, and FO was the foundation.

New Publications (2024–2025)

4 new papers documenting IM-1 NDL performance — the first detailed analysis of FO-matured technology performing on the lunar surface:

  1. AIAA SciTech 2025: "Demonstration of Navigation Doppler Lidar Capabilities Onboard the First Commercial Lunar Lander" — Amzajerdian et al. (NTRS 20240016238)
  2. AIAA SciTech 2025: "Navigation Doppler LiDAR Lunar Landing Data Analysis and Trajectory Reconstruction" (AIAA 2025-1116)
  3. NASA Technical Memorandum: "NDL Performance Assessment and Trajectory Reconstruction of the IM-1 Lunar Landing" (NTRS 20250010290)
  4. AAS Conference: "Navigation Doppler Lidar Performance Assessment" (preprint, NTRS 20250007036)

Key confirmed performance data (from papers): NDL provided 100% valid measurements from 10 km altitude to surface. Range accuracy: ~5 m. Velocity accuracy: ~0.5 m/s. NDL measurements exceeded preflight expectations.

Full TechPort Footprint (8 projects)

Psionic has 8 TechPort projects — more than previously tracked:

Project Program Period TRL Description
91351 FO 2013–2019 5→6 NDL flight testing (LaRC-led)
106687 FO 2019–2021 4→6 PNDL commercial maturation
102573 SBIR 2020–2021 1→3 Chip-scale waveform Phase I
113437 SBIR 2021 1→3 PIC optical network Phase I
113130 SBIR 2021–2023 2→5 Chip-scale waveform Phase II
154677 SBIR 2022–2023 2→4 Chip-scale waveform (PIC control)
154741 SBIR 2023–2025 3→6 CCRPP: NDL System on Module
146990 GCD 2023–2025 — Tipping Point: no-light lunar landing

Key PI: Diego Pierrottet leads most SBIR projects (not Sandford). Pierrottet appears to be the technical lead on the photonics integration work. Aram Gragossian is project manager on multiple SBIR awards.

Company Status — Independent, Well-Funded, Growing

Psionic is independent, not acquired, and healthy: - June 2024: $16.5M Series A (BlackForest Ventures, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation, Stage 1 Ventures, Caffeinated Capital, EPIC Ventures, others) — total $40.1M raised to date - December 2025: New North Ventures leads undisclosed strategic investment round — focused on scaling into defense/IC customers and building production manufacturing capacity - ~38 employees (Hampton, VA) - Sean Kish is now President and CEO; Stephen Sandford transitioned to Founder/CTO

"SurePath Navigation" is a product brand/tagline, not a legal renaming. The company operates as Psionic Inc./LLC. The SurePath brand covers dual-use navigation for GPS-denied environments — land, air, and space vehicles.

Defense market entry: Psionic is showcasing the SurePath Ground Velocimeter at Modern Day Marine 2026 (April 28–30, Washington DC) — a ground vehicle navigation product for GPS-denied military environments. Also partnered with Silicon Sensing for GNSS-denied navigation solutions. The Navy contracts ($500K SBIR 2025, $250K aircraft landing 2018) and Army contracts ($106K inertial nav 2022) show a growing DoD customer base.

USASpending Awards (Psionic, Inc.)

Award ID Agency Amount Period Purpose
80NSSC22C0014 NASA $6.73M 2022–2026 Compact commercial NDL with PIC upgrades
80NSSC25C0433 NASA $4.00M 2025–2027 SBIR Phase II: PSNDL Class A mission qualification
80NSSC23CA180 NASA $2.50M 2023–2025 CCRPP: NDL System on Module
80NSSC21C0525 NASA $1.12M 2021–2023 OT: chip-scale waveform modulation for NDL
N6833525C0223 DoD/Navy $500K 2025–2027 R&D (aircraft precision landing)
80NSSC20C0617 NASA $125K 2020–2021 SBIR: chip-scale waveform for NDL
80NSSC21C0390 NASA $124K 2021 SBIR: PIC optical network for NDL
N0001418P1015 DoD/Navy $250K 2018–2019 Aircraft-assisted lidar landing system
W9132V22P0004 DoD/Army $106K 2022–2023 Inertial navigation
N6833524C0214 DoD/Navy $175K 2024–2025 SBIR Phase I
W9132V24P0007 DoD/Army $10K 2024 FY24 Psionic contract

Total NASA tracked: ~$14.6M
Total DoD tracked: ~$1.05M
Grand total (government): ~$15.65M
Total VC raised: ~$40.1M (Series A $16.5M Jun 2024 + New North Ventures Dec 2025 + earlier rounds)
(Excludes IM-1/IM-2 mission value; PSNDL is customer-supplied hardware on CLPS. Also excludes GCD Tipping Point [146990] which is a Space Act Agreement, not a contract.)

Downstream Impact Chain

NASA LaRC (2006+): NDL concept development — Farzin Amzajerdian PI
         ↓
FO 91351 (2013–2019): NDL flight-tested on suborbital vehicles (TRL5→6)
         ↓
Psionic, Inc. licenses NDL from NASA (2016) — Hampton VA
  - Founded by engineers who worked on Doppler lidar at LaRC
  - Produces commercial PSNDL product
         ↓
Psionic contracts 2018–2025 ($15.65M tracked): scaling commercial product
  - 6 SBIR awards (chip-scale PIC miniaturization, SoM, Class A qualification)
         ↓
CLPS missions (2024–2025):
  - Peregrine Mission 1 (Jan 2024): PSNDL aboard — mission failed (propellant leak)
  - IM-1 Nova-C (Feb 22, 2024): PSNDL saves mission when primary sensor fails
  - IM-2 Athena (Mar 6, 2025): NDL aboard, southernmost lunar landing;
    altimeter failed again, lander tipped over, mission ended Mar 7
         ↓
GCD Tipping Point [146990] (2023–2025): No-light lunar landing validation
  - F/A-18 tests at Edwards AFB (Feb 2025) — Mach 1, 30,000 ft
  - Partnered with Draper for GN&C integration
         ↓
TRL9: NDL flight-proven on lunar surface (2024–2025, 2 landings)
  - NASA Invention of Year 2022 (commercial category)
  - 4 peer-reviewed papers on IM-1 performance (2024–2025)
         ↓
Artemis: NDL planned for crewed pinpoint lunar landing
IM-3 (H2 2026): NDL likely aboard (unconfirmed)

The IM-1 Story

The IM-1 mission is the cleanest possible demonstration of FO technology maturation value. The sequence: 1. FO validates NDL at TRL6 in flight conditions (2013–2019) 2. Psionic packages it for commercial use 3. IM-1 launches with NDL as a non-primary sensor (laser rangefinder was primary) 4. The primary sensor fails — a non-redundant system would have aborted the landing 5. NDL steps in as primary: 100% valid measurements from 10 km to surface 6. First commercial lunar soft landing achieved

Without NDL (FO-matured, then Psionic-commercialized), IM-1 fails. This is the argument for FO in its most direct form.

Key Distinctions

FO attribution is indirect: The FO project was run by NASA LaRC (government), not Psionic. FO tested the NASA-internal technology. Psionic is the commercialization vehicle. The chain is FO → NASA TRL6 → license → Psionic → CLPS mission.

This is not an industry FO project: 91351 is government-led. But the commercial outcome (Psionic) is directly traceable to the FO maturation. The FO program enabled a flight dataset that made licensing credible.

Open Threads

  • ~~Is Psionic (now SurePath Navigation?) still independent or acquired?~~ Resolved Session 69: Independent, $40.1M raised, ~38 employees. "SurePath" is product brand, not legal rename. Sean Kish is CEO; Sandford is Founder/CTO.
  • ~~Are there non-space applications?~~ Resolved Session 69: Yes — SurePath Ground Velocimeter for military GPS-denied nav (Modern Day Marine 2026), Silicon Sensing partnership, Navy aircraft landing, Army inertial nav.
  • IM-2 NDL performance: Did NDL provide usable navigation data on IM-2? Was it integrated into the guidance loop? Post-flight analysis papers expected on NTRS.
  • IM-3 manifest: Is PSNDL confirmed for IM-3 (H2 2026, Reiner Gamma)? Likely but unverified.
  • What is the PSNDL unit price? (Sets the commercial baseline for NDL's market value)
  • What was the Tipping Point [146990] award value? (Space Act Agreements don't appear on USASpending)
  • Diego Pierrottet: What is his role at Psionic? He leads most SBIR projects but isn't mentioned in the company's public branding.

Sources