TX17 — Guidance, Navigation & Control (GN&C)¶
Created: 2026-04-06 (session 42)
Portfolio Overview¶
Total projects: 400 across 32 programs
Status: 380 Completed (95%), 16 Active (4%), 4 Canceled (1%)
TRL distribution (all): TRL 3: 24.8% (99), TRL 4: 21.2% (85), null: 15.8% (63), TRL 5: 12.8% (51), TRL 6: 8.8% (35), TRL 2: 6.8% (27), TRL 7: 4.0% (16), TRL 8: 1.2% (5), TRL 9: 0.2% (1)
TRL 6→7 cliff (all programs): 35 → 16 = 2.2:1
TRL 6→7 cliff (SBIR only): 25 → 8 = 3.1:1 (same as TX08, TX03)
Queries: portfolio_aggregate(group_by="program", filter={"primaryTx":"TX17"}), portfolio_aggregate(group_by="status", filter={"primaryTx":"TX17"}), portfolio_aggregate(group_by="trlCurrent", filter={"primaryTx":"TX17"}), portfolio_aggregate(group_by="trlCurrent", filter={"primaryTx":"TX17","program":"SBIR/STTR"}), find_projects(technology_area="TX17", status="Active"), snapshot 2026-04-04
Program Distribution¶
| Program | Count | % | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBIR/STTR | 221 | 55.2% | Component GN&C hardware, algorithms — mostly historical |
| STRG | 56 | 14.0% | Academic algorithm research — 9 currently active |
| GSFC IRAD | 42 | 10.5% | GSFC internal GN&C — all historical |
| SST | 15 | 3.8% | Student satellite technology demos |
| FO | 12 | 3.0% | Flight validation of GN&C tech |
| GCD | 6 | 1.5% | Center-led programs |
| JSC CIF | 6 | 1.5% | Center internal |
| Other (25 programs) | 42 | 10.5% | MSFC CIF, JPL IRAD, GSFC CIF, NIAC, APRA, etc. |
Key observation: SBIR/STTR dominates historically (55%) but only 3 of 16 active projects are SBIR. The GN&C component market existed at scale for decades; NASA is now investing in academic algorithms and center demonstrations, not commercial component procurement.
Correction to session 41: Session 41 described TX17 as a "previously undocumented taxonomy area" based on finding only 9 active STRG projects. That characterization applied only to the STRG active slice. Globally, TX17 is a major 400-project investment area — the 17th NASA TX area is fully populated and historically active.
TX17 Subtaxonomy¶
| Subarea | Description | Active examples |
|---|---|---|
| TX17.1.1 | Guidance Algorithms | CU Boulder robust guidance [158624] |
| TX17.2.1 | Onboard Navigation Algorithms | TRON [158459], UT Austin SST [106826], 8 STRG academic |
| TX17.2.3 | Navigation Sensors | XAnalytix [158723], Intellisense star tracker [158413] |
| TX17.5.2 | GN&C Fault Management, Fault Tolerance, and Autonomy | Advanced Space SCRAM [158673] |
| TX17.6.2 | Tactical Management of Air Vehicles | FireSense Clemson drone swarms [157493] |
| TX17.X | Other GN&C Technologies | UMass GRITSS flight demo [157487] |
TX17.6.2 = aeronautical GN&C. Clemson's FireSense drone swarm wildfire detection project [157493] appears here — not space navigation at all. TX17 covers both space GN&C and airspace management algorithms, which explains the breadth of the portfolio.
Active Portfolio (16 Projects, April 2026)¶
Tier 1: Center-led, Hardware-oriented (TRL 3-5+)¶
Project TRON: Target & Range-adaptive Optical Navigation (158459)
Program: ECI | Lead: Johnson Space Center | TRL: 3→6 (currently 4) | Period: 2024-10 to 2026-10
The most substantive active TX17 project. Orion's existing optical navigation (OpNav) system works by imaging the horizon arc of Earth/Moon to estimate range and bearing — but only when the planet appears as a resolved disc with a visible horizon. TRON adds two new modes: - Planetary triangulation (far range): when planets appear as unresolved points of light, use multi-body geometry - Crater identification (close range): when terrain fills the FOV with no visible horizon
Together these give "Target & Range-adaptive" OpNav — a continuous navigation capability across all mission phases. Motivation: DSN is oversubscribed and expensive; extended loss-of-comm means loss-of-crew risk for Orion.
Implementation: ML-based crater detection + optimal triangulation algorithms (recently published methods). Year 1 (2024-2025): prototype + performance maximization. Year 2 (2025-2026): flight SW conversion + HW integration → deliver to flight provider for test demo.
Multi-center: JSC (lead) + GSFC (partner). PI: Jorge B. Chong (JSC). PM: Paul D. McKee (JSC). Destinations: Earth, Mars, Moon/Cislunar, deep solar system.
Significance: If successful, TRON extends autonomous navigation capability from near-Earth Orion missions to deep-space crew vehicles. It directly reduces DSN dependency for human spaceflight safety.
On-Orbit Demo of Surface Feature Navigation and Timing (106826)
Program: SST | Lead: University of Texas at Austin | TRL: 3→7 | Period: 2020-07 to 2027-08 | Co-I: Renato Zanetti (JSC)
Crater-based Navigation and Timing (CNT): ML crater detection for spacecraft PNT in 100-1000km lunar orbits, independent of DSN. Performance validated in simulation: 100m position accuracy / 100ms timing accuracy, tested against real Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) imagery. Still at TRL 3 after 5 years — simulation proven but no hardware flight yet. LEO CubeSat demonstration planned for launch by end of 2026 to push toward TRL 7.
TX mismatch: human classified TX17.2.1 (navigation algorithms); ML predicts TX05.4.2 (Revolutionary PNT Technologies). Both are correct framings — crater-based PNT is a crossover technology.
TRON ↔ [106826] connection. Both projects use crater identification for DSN-independent navigation. Both involve JSC (TRON is JSC-led; [106826] has JSC co-PI Renato Zanetti). TRON started Oct 2024 — 4 years after [106826] began developing crater-ID methods with LRO data. TRON may be operationalizing the algorithm research that [106826] validated in simulation. The crater-ID capability in TRON's Year 1 prototyping plausibly builds on the CNT software base. This is the kind of STRG/SST→ECI maturation pipeline TechPort sometimes captures — but the connection here is inferred from timing and personnel overlap, not explicit TechPort linkage.
GRITSS Flight Demonstration (157487)
Program: InVEST | Lead: UMass Lowell | TRL: 5→? | TX17.X Other GN&C
Geodetic Reference Instrument Transponder for Small Satellites — developed under ACT-17 funding, now flying on ISISpace 12U CubeSat. Flight demo: 12-month on-orbit operations. TX17.X classification = doesn't fit other subcategories. This is geodetic/ranging hardware, not an algorithm.
Tier 2: SBIR Phase II (TRL 3-4)¶
| Project | Lead | TX | TRL | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor Outlier Removal (158723) | XAnalytix Systems | TX17.2.3 | 3→5 | Bayesian/optimal outlier rejection for LIDAR/camera pose estimation |
| Interferometric CubeSat Star Tracker (158413) | Intellisense Systems | TX17.2.3 | 4→5 | Sub-arcsecond star tracker for distributed CubeSats beyond LEO |
| SCRAM collision avoidance (158673) | Advanced Space, LLC | TX17.5.2 | 3→6 | ML-based collision avoidance automation (debris/conjunction); removes human-in-loop bottleneck |
SCRAM [158673] — documented from briefing chart (file 317122, 317343):
The 19th Space Defense Squadron (19th SDS) monitors space objects and generates Conjunction Data Messages (CDMs) roughly every 8 hours as two objects approach. Traditional ConOps: operators monitor each CDM manually, maintain situational awareness over days leading to close approach, then perform risk assessment near Time of Closest Approach (TCA). At scale (mega-constellations, increasing object count), this is an unsustainable human workload.
SCRAM removes the bottleneck with two tools: 1. Collision Risk Prediction Tool — ML processes the first few CDMs and immediately predicts the risk at TCA, eliminating days of manual monitoring. Transformer + RNN neural networks trained on historical CDM data. 2. Debris Catalog Screening Tool — after a maneuver is designed, rapidly validates the maneuver against the debris catalog to ensure it doesn't create new downstream conjunctions.
Phase II deliverables (Jun 2024 – Jun 2026): prototype ground software + quarterly reports + Final Report. All delivered to NASA for assessment. Downstream customer: NASA CARA team (Conjunction Assessment and Risk Analysis). Secondary markets: DoC TraCCS (commercial space traffic management), OneWeb-class mega-constellations, USSF space situational awareness.
GSFC IRAD precursor (7-year lag): GSFC built autonomous ML collision avoidance internally in 2017-2018 ([93252], TRL 4) using neuro-fuzzy networks for the same COLA problem. GSFC's IRAD seeded the concept. Advanced Space is now taking an evolved version of the same idea to TRL 6 for operational CARA deployment. Pattern: IRAD → SBIR maturation → operational deployment.
ML/human classification matches (both TX17.5.2: GN&C Fault Management). No mismatch — rare for applied AI projects in TechPort.
Tier 3: STRG Academic Algorithm Research (TRL 2→3, 9 projects)¶
All 9 STRG active TX17 projects are low-TRL algorithm research at universities. No hardware. All end at TRL 3.
| Project | Lead | TX | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icy Moon Uncertainty Propagation (156363) | UC San Diego | TX17.2.1 | Grid-based Bayesian nav uncertainty for Europa/Enceladus missions |
| NeRF-based Autonomous Nav (158590) | Georgia Tech | TX17.2.1 | Neural Radiance Fields for spacecraft terrain navigation |
| Formation Flying Collision Avoidance (118456) | Stanford | TX17.2.1 | Closed-form safe maneuvers for multi-spacecraft formations |
| Low-Thrust Trajectory Optimization (118446) | UT Austin | TX17.2.1 | Many-revolution low-thrust in multi-body gravity environments |
| LCA Uncertainty Quantification (156371) | CU Boulder (PI: Jay McMahon) | TX17.2.1 | Linear Covariance Analysis (3 orders of magnitude faster than Monte Carlo) |
| Event-Based Sensor State Estimation (118432) | UT Austin | TX17.2.1 | High-frequency state estimation using neuromorphic event cameras |
| Thruster Failure Trajectory Optimization (118445) | CU Boulder (PI: Daniel Scheeres) | TX17.2.1 | Robust trajectories incorporating statistical thruster failure models |
| Robust Cislunar Guidance (158624) | CU Boulder (PI: Daniel Scheeres) | TX17.1.1 | Chance-constrained guidance with high-fidelity uncertainty propagation |
| Cislunar RPOD (158622) | Purdue | TX17.2.1 | Rendezvous in multi-body gravity (Earth-Moon L-points) |
CU Boulder has 3 of 9 STRG TX17 projects — the most concentrated institutional bet on navigation algorithms in the active STRG portfolio. Two PIs: Daniel Scheeres (2 projects, trajectory robustness + chance-constrained guidance) and Jay McMahon (1 project, LCA uncertainty propagation). Scheeres is a prominent orbital mechanics researcher known for proximity operations in complex gravity fields. Both work in the same institutional orbit but as distinct groups. All three projects focus on uncertainty quantification and robust/fault-tolerant guidance in complex gravity environments. Source: get_project([156371, 118445, 158624]) batch, 2026-04-06.
Common thread: Cislunar complexity. 7 of 9 projects address navigation challenges in multi-body gravity environments (cislunar, icy moons, low-thrust multi-revolution). Classical two-body Keplerian approximations break down there. NASA is investing in the mathematical tools to enable autonomous navigation in these environments before the hardware missions arrive.
Tier 4: Cross-domain¶
| Project | Lead | TX | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| FireSense Drone Swarms (157493) | Clemson | TX17.6.2 | AI drone swarms for wildfire detection/mapping |
FireSense is a NASA Aeronautics program funding wildfire technology. The TX17.6.2 classification (tactical air vehicle management) reflects that GN&C taxonomy spans aeronautical applications. Not space GN&C.
Historical Portfolio Character¶
SBIR TX17 (221 projects, mostly Completed)¶
TRL distribution peaks at TRL 4 (25.8%) and includes substantial null TRL (23.5%). The 6→7 cliff is 3.1:1 — same as TX08 sensors and TX03 power. This is the standard SBIR GN&C pattern: sensor manufacturers and algorithm developers reach TRL 5-6 with some regularity, but flight validation (TRL 7) is sparse. Only 8 SBIR TX17 projects ever reached TRL 7.
TX17 TRL 9: CHOMPTT (93925) — Legitimate Flight Mission¶
The single TX17 TRL 9 project is CHOMPTT (CubeSat Handling of Multisystem Precision Time Transfer), University of Florida, SST program. Not semantic inflation — this CubeSat actually flew. TRL 4→9.
CHOMPTT = 1U CubeSat instrument with chip-scale atomic clocks synchronized to a ground clock via laser pulse timing. Components: atomic clocks + picosecond event timers + avalanche photodiodes. Demonstrates precision time transfer in orbit for navigation and timing applications. This is the SST program's delivery model working as intended: academic team → CubeSat → orbit → TRL 9.
Significance: TX17 CAN reach TRL 9 through the SST CubeSat route. This is the proven pathway for academic navigation/timing technology. The UT Austin SST project [106826] is following the same model (LEO CubeSat demo by end of 2026 targeting TRL 7).
GSFC IRAD TX17 (42 projects, all Completed)¶
Source: find_projects(program="GSFC IRAD", technology_area="TX17", status=null) → 42 results, snapshot 2026-04-04. 38 GSFC + 4 Wallops Flight Facility.
GSFC has the highest IRAD count in TX17 of any NASA center. The 42 projects (2011–2025) are organized around a strategic platform called autoNGC (Autonomous Navigation, Guidance & Control) — GSFC's unified software framework for autonomous spacecraft GN&C. Most IRAD work feeds into autoNGC or its sensor/algorithm components.
autoNGC Platform¶
| ID | Title | TRL | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94817 | autonomous Navigation, Guidance, and Control (autoNGC) | 4 | 2018-2022 | Core platform integrating GN&C hardware + software components |
| 96813 | Strategic, Stressing autoNGC Applications | 4 | 2020-2021 | Stressing use cases to test platform generality |
| 146775 | Flight SW Implementation of Maneuver Planning Algorithm | 6 | 2023-2025 | Maneuver planning FSW for autoNGC — highest TRL in recent IRAD TX17 work |
The maneuver planning module [146775] achieved TRL 6 in 2 years of IRAD work — flight-software-ready code that can be integrated into autoNGC. This is the platform's most advanced recent output.
GIANT/cGIANT Optical Navigation Pipeline¶
GSFC built GIANT (Goddard Image Analysis and Navigation Tool) for the OSIRIS-REx mission (asteroid proximity operations). IRAD then evolved GIANT into an onboard autonomous tool:
| ID | Title | TRL | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93240 | Advancements in Optical Navigation Capabilities | 4 | 2017-2018 | Ground-based GIANT maturation with OSIRIS-REx IV&V role |
| 94818 | Autonomous On-Board Optical Navigation Software | 4 | 2018-2019 | GIANT adapted for onboard autonomous use (cGIANT prototype) |
| 105724 | Autonomous Celestial Navigation (cGIANT) | 4 | 2021-2022 | cGIANT onboard OpNav integrated in autoNGC |
| 96812 | Advanced Optical Navigation Camera for autoNGC | 3 | 2020-2021 | Lower-cost sensor hardware for autoNGC |
| 105691 | Maturation of OpNav Tools Using Mission Data | 7 | 2021-2022 | Used New Horizons + MESSENGER imagery; TRL 7 — highest in GSFC TX17 IRAD |
| 93247 | Modernization of Stereophotoclinometry (SPC) | 4 | 2017-2018 | Image processing for terrain relative navigation |
| 90783 | TRN Demo with GEONS and SpaceCube | 4 | 2016-2017 | Hardware-in-loop terrain relative nav demo |
TRL 7 from mission data: [105691] matured optical nav tools using actual New Horizons (Pluto flyby) and MESSENGER (Mercury orbit) imagery alongside APL. This is the highest confirmed TRL in the GSFC TX17 IRAD portfolio. The cGIANT/OpNav capability this represents is what TRON [158459] operationalizes — particularly the crater identification algorithms for planetary terrain navigation.
GIANT → TRON lineage (inferred): OSIRIS-REx → GIANT → cGIANT (TRL 7 validated with mission data) → TRON Year 1 crater-ID algorithm prototyping. The capability chain from asteroid proximity operations to Orion cislunar navigation runs through GSFC's IRAD investment. Not explicitly linked in TechPort, but timing + personnel + technical approach make this the most parsimonious explanation for how JSC's TRON project builds on prior crater-ID methods ("recently published methods" per TRON description).
Formation Flying / Precision Relative Nav¶
| ID | Title | TRL | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 96763 | Autonomous Navigation for Co-Orbiting Spacecraft | 6 | 2020-2022 | Angles-only nav for lunar/interplanetary formation flying; flight SW integrated |
| 93258 | pFANtASY | 4 | 2017-2018 | Acquisition + fine alignment nav for dual-spacecraft distributed instruments |
| 146773 | CAAS — Compact Astrometric Alignment Sensor | 4 | 2023-2024 | Optical sensor for milli-arcsec distributed virtual telescopes |
| 146746 | High Precision Relative Position Sensing | 4 | 2023-2024 | 0.1mm longitudinal precision at <1m for formation docking |
These feed GSFC's distributed science mission capability — the "virtual telescope" formation flying concepts that require sub-arcsecond alignment between spacecraft.
Navigator GPS and GEODYN Heritage¶
| ID | Title | TRL | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11830 | Navigator GPS for SpaceCube | 6 | 2012-2013 | High-altitude GPS; flew on MMS, GPIM — now mGNSS heritage |
| 40637 | GEODYN Scientific Orbit Determination | 6 | 2015-2016 | GSFC's orbit determination software for planetary missions |
| 157704 | FPGA Lunar Gravity Model | 4 | 2024-2025 | 150×150 gravity model for LRO-class orbit determination on FPGA |
Navigator GPS is the ancestor of the mGNSS that flew on IM-1 Blue Ghost in 2025. GEODYN is GSFC's operational scientific orbit determination software (used for GRACE, GEDI, LRO). The FPGA lunar gravity model [157704] (2024-2025) is the most recent IRAD investment and targets onboard cislunar orbit determination — LRO-compatible accuracy in flight hardware.
ML Collision Avoidance Precursor — GSFC → SCRAM¶
| ID | Title | TRL | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93252 | Supervised ML for Autonomous Collision Avoidance | 4 | 2017-2018 | Neuro-fuzzy networks for autonomous COLA decision-making and sensor tasking |
The SCRAM origin story: In 2017-2018, GSFC built internal ML-based collision avoidance (neuro-fuzzy networks for autonomous conjunction management and sensor tasking), reaching TRL 4. Seven years later, Advanced Space — a commercial navigation company — is building SCRAM (SBIR Phase II, 2024-2026) to take the same concept to TRL 6 for CARA operational deployment. The GSFC IRAD seeded the concept; the SBIR is now maturing it for operational use. Whether SCRAM explicitly builds on [93252] is not documented in TechPort, but the technical concept and downstream application (CARA) are identical.
Cislunar Trajectory Design¶
| ID | Title | TRL | Period | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 146776 | ATD Module — Earth-Moon Trajectory Design | 3 | 2023-2024 | Adds cislunar orbit/transfer generation to existing trajectory design tool |
| 117111 | Onboard Autonomous Celestial Navigation | 3 | 2022-2025 | Interplanetary radiometric-free nav using onboard measurements |
SmallSat ACS Heritage¶
Wallops Flight Facility (4 of the 42 projects) specializes in sounding rocket payload ACS. GSFC ACS work includes: - CubeSat ACS testbed [40649] (WFF, 2015-2021, TRL 3) — foundational test capability - SS Nano star scanner [14547] (GSFC, 2013-2015, TRL 3→9) — miniature star scanner achieved TRL 9 through IRAD alone; the only GSFC TX17 IRAD project to reach TRL 9 - AI differential drag control [96231] (GSFC, 2019-2020, TRL 5) — ML for SmallSat formation keeping without propellant - SWaP-reduced star tracker [90993] (WFF, 2016-2017, TRL 5) — suborbital applications
SS Nano reaching TRL 9 through IRAD alone is notable — no flight project needed. The miniature star scanner was compact enough to be a sensor component that GSFC could integrate and fully characterize internally.
Overall GSFC IRAD TX17 Pattern¶
GSFC runs a coherent, multi-decade GN&C capability program through IRAD. The autoNGC platform is the integration point; individual IRADs build the sensors, algorithms, and FSW modules that feed into it. The investment cluster has two tracks: 1. Deep space navigation (OpNav/GIANT, celestial nav, DSN-independence) — feeding TRON and broader Artemis/exploration GN&C 2. Formation flying / distributed science (relative nav sensors, CAAS, pFANtASY) — feeding future multi-spacecraft science missions
The 2023-2025 vintage IRADs (maneuver planning TRL 6, CAAS, optical ranger, FPGA gravity model, smallsat ACS interface) show the investment is still active and advancing. Maneuver planning at TRL 6 is flight-software-ready — the highest recent output.
Cross-References¶
- topics/strg-active-portfolio.md — STRG TX17 slice: 9 active projects, all TRL 2→3
- topics/tx10-autonomous-systems.md — Autonomy decisions using navigation state; TX17 provides state, TX10 acts on it
- topics/tx04-robotics-autonomy.md — Robotics navigation (surface mobility) overlaps TX17 onboard nav
- topics/tx05-comms-nav.md — TX05.6 includes navigation; PNT overlap with TX17.2
- topics/tx02-computing-avionics.md — GN&C flight SW runs on avionics (TX02); TRON delivers flight SW package
- topics/mco-eio-earth-independent-ops.md — Earth Independent Operations depends on autonomous navigation (TX17)
Open Threads¶
- TRON flight demo partner — description says "deliver hardware/software package to a flight provider" by Oct 2026. Flight provider not named in TechPort. CLPS? Commercial crew? This determines infusion pathway. TRL now confirmed at 4 (advanced from initial 3).
- CU Boulder TX17 concentration — RESOLVED (session 44): Two PIs — Daniel Scheeres ([118445], [158624]) and Jay McMahon ([156371]). Scheeres is a prominent orbital mechanics researcher. This is an institutionally concentrated but multi-PI bet on cislunar navigation algorithms.
- GSFC IRAD TX17 history — RESOLVED: 42 projects, all GSFC/Wallops. Primary output: autoNGC platform + GIANT/cGIANT optical nav pipeline. Maneuver planning achieved TRL 6 (2025). OpNav matured to TRL 7 using New Horizons/MESSENGER data. ML-COLA IRAD [93252] (2017-18) is the SCRAM precursor. Full details in Historical Portfolio section above.
- Advanced Space SCRAM — RESOLVED (documented from briefing): 2-tool architecture (Risk Prediction Tool + Debris Catalog Screening Tool), CARA as primary downstream, TraCCS/mega-constellations as commercial markets. GSFC had an internal ML-COLA IRAD [93252] in 2017-18 that preceded this. Ends Jun 2026.
- TX17 TRL 9 — RESOLVED: CHOMPTT [93925] (UF, SST), legitimate CubeSat flight mission, TRL 4→9. Not semantic inflation.