Identifying the Technical and Economic Challenges of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) in a Lunar Environment

Danielle R. Mortensen, Sarah Withee

Abstract:	Position, navigation, and timing (PNT) on the Moon present unique challenges which are not encountered in more familiar terrestrial and Martian environments. This paper will describe the technical and economic problem space and challenges of navigating extreme lunar environments. Communication challenges related to teleoperation are particularly acute in areas of interest, such as the lunar south pole, and will have a profound influence on navigation. Other environmental factors which will influence the development of lunar PNT, such as surviving the lunar night and permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), as well as lunar dust, will be considered. Our goal is to enable future mission planners and navigation technology developers in understanding the environmental and economic challenges they will face concerning the Moon and how this will affect navigation systems and sensor design.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 36th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2023) September 11 - 15, 2023 Hyatt Regency Denver Denver, Colorado
Pages:	3664 - 3676
Cite this article:	Mortensen, Danielle R., Withee, Sarah, "Identifying the Technical and Economic Challenges of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) in a Lunar Environment," Proceedings of the 36th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2023), Denver, Colorado, September 2023, pp. 3664-3676. https://doi.org/10.33012/2023.19283
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