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Visual Localization of the Tianwen-1 Lander Using Orbital, Descent and Rover Images

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Visual Localization of the Tianwen-1 Lander Using Orbital, Descent and Rover Images remote sensing Technical Note Visual Localization of the Tianwen-1 Lander Using Orbital, Descent and Rover Images Wenhui Wan 1, Tianyi Yu 2, Kaichang Di 1,3, Jia Wang 2, Zhaoqin Liu 1,* , Lichun Li 2, Bin Liu 1, Yexin Wang 1, Man Peng 1, Zheng Bo 1,4, Lejia Ye 1,4, Runzhi Wang 1,4, Li Yin 1,4, Meiping Yang 1,4, Ke Shi 1,4, Ximing He 2, Zuoyu Zhang 2, Hui Zhang 2, Hao Lu 2 and Shuo Bao 2 1 State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; [email protected] (W.W.); [email protected] (K.D.); [email protected] (B.L.); [email protected] (Y.W.); [email protected] (M.P.); [email protected] (Z.B.); [email protected] (L.Y.); [email protected] (R.W.); [email protected] (L.Y.); [email protected] (M.Y.); [email protected] (K.S.) 2 Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), Beijing 100094, China; [email protected] (T.Y.); [email protected] (J.W.); [email protected] (L.L.); [email protected] (X.H.); [email protected] (Z.Z.); [email protected] (H.Z.); [email protected] (H.L.); [email protected] (S.B.) 3 CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei 230026, China 4 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +86-10-6480-7987 Abstract: Tianwen-1, China’s first Mars exploration mission, was successfully landed in the southern part of Utopia Planitia on 15 May 2021 (UTC+8). Timely and accurately determining the landing loca- tion is critical for the subsequent mission operations. For timely localization, the remote landmarks, Citation: Wan, W.; Yu, T.; Di, K.; selected from the panorama generated by the earliest received Navigation and Terrain Cameras Wang, J.; Liu, Z.; Li, L.; Liu, B.; Wang, Y.; Peng, M.; Bo, Z.; et al. (NaTeCam) images, were matched with the Digital Orthophoto Map (DOM) generated by high Visual Localization of the Tianwen-1 resolution imaging camera (HiRIC) images to obtain the initial result based on the triangulation Lander Using Orbital, Descent and method. Then, the initial localization result was refined by the descent images received later and the ◦ ◦ Rover Images. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, NaTeCam DOM. Finally, the lander location was determined to be (25.066 N, 109.925 E). Verified 3439. https://doi.org/10.3390/ by the new orbital image with the lander and Zhurong rover visible, the localization accuracy was rs13173439 within a pixel of the HiRIC DOM. Academic Editors: Giancarlo Bellucci Keywords: Tianwen-1; lander localization; NaTeCam image; HiRIC image; descent image; land- and Christian Wöhler mark triangulation Received: 21 June 2021 Accepted: 25 August 2021 Published: 30 August 2021 1. Introduction Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral Tianwen-1, China’s first independent Mars exploration mission, was launched from with regard to jurisdictional claims in Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province by the Long March-5 heavy-lift car- published maps and institutional affil- rier rocket on 23 July 2020 (UTC+8) [1]. After about seven months, the Tianwen-1 probe, iations. composed of an orbiter, lander and the Zhurong rover, entered the Martian orbit and then activated the 3000-Newton-thrust orbital-control engine to decelerate the probe on 11 February 2021 (UTC+8), to make the probe captured by the Martian gravity [2]. By moving to the elliptical orbit with a perigee of about 400 km [3], the equipped moderate resolution imaging camera (MoRIC) and the HiRIC acquired images of the Martian sur- Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. face [4–7]. The HiRIC is responsible for detailed topographic mapping of the key areas, This article is an open access article including the two preselected landing areas [7]. After investigation for preselected landing distributed under the terms and areas, the landing capsule separated from the orbiter and entered into the phase of Entry, conditions of the Creative Commons Descent and Landing (EDL). On 15 May 2021 (UTC+8), the landing capsule soft landed Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// successfully in the southern part of Utopia Planitia [8]. According to the lander’s Guidance, ◦ ◦ creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ Navigation and Control (GNC) system, the landing location was at (25.1 N, 109.9 E) in 4.0/). the planetocentric frame tied to the IAU/IAG 2000 Mars coordinate system [9]. Through Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 3439. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13173439 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing RemoteRemote Sens.Sens.2021 2021,, 1313,, 34393439 2 of 212 of 12 thetwo planetocentric rails, the Zhurong frame rover tied wasto the deployed IAU/IAG to 2000 the Martian Mars coordinate surface from system the lander[9]. Through platform twoat 10:40 rails, am the (UTC+8),Zhurong rover 22 May was 2021 deployed [10]. Figure to the 1Martian shows thesurface diagram from the of the lander Tianwen-1 plat- formEDL at processes. 10:40 am (UTC+8), 22 May 2021 [10]. Figure 1 shows the diagram of the Tianwen- 1 EDL processes. Entering into relay orbit Lander Separated from the orbit Stage of Pneumatic Deceleration Opening parachute Stage of Parachute Separating base cover Deceleration Throwing back cover Stage of engine Deceleration Hovering and obstacle avoidance Stages of Hovering and Obstacle Avoidance Trouching down FigureFigure 1. 1. DiagramDiagram of of the the entry, entry, descent descent and and landing landing of of Tianwen-1. Tianwen-1. TimelyTimely and and precise precise lander lander localization localization is is critical critical for for the the mission mission operations operations and and sci- scien- entifictific exploration exploration [11 [11–15].–15]. It It provides provides essential essential geo-location geo-location information information for for task task planning, plan- ning,such assuch radio as radio communication communicati andon scientificand scientific object object exploration. exploration. Moreover, Moreover, accurate accurate lander landerlocation location is indispensable is indispensable to guiding to guiding the orbiter the orbiter to acquire to acquire high high resolution resolution images images of the oflanding the landing area repeatedly, area repeatedly, which which aims toaims perform to perform the repeated the repeated monitoring monitoring of the of landing the landingarea in thearea Tianwen-1 in the Tianwen-1 mission. mission. InIn previous previous lunar lunar and and Mars Mars missions, missions, the the lander lander localization localization mainly mainly relied relied on onradio- radio- trackingtracking methods methods and and image-based image-based methods methods [11–15]. [11–15 ].Radio-tracking Radio-tracking methods methods obtained obtained accurateaccurate measurements measurements of ofthe the Doppler Doppler shift shift of the of radio the radiosignalsignal from the from probe. the The probe. local- The izationlocalization results results in the inplanetary the planetary inertial inertial system system can be candirectly be directly calculated, calculated, and then and be thencon- be vertedconverted to results to results in the in body-fixed the body-fixed coordina coordinatete system system [15]. The [15 ].image-based The image-based methods methods em- ployedemployed the theimages images captured captured by the by thepayload payload cameras cameras (e.g., (e.g., descent descent camera) camera) on onthethe lander lander toto register register with with the the orbiter orbiter image image of the of the land landinging area area by using by using image image matching matching directly, directly, or landmarkor landmark feature feature identification identification and matching and matching [16]. The [16]. lander The lander location location in the orbiter in the orbiterim- ageimage was was obtained obtained based based on the on geometric the geometric relationship relationship calculation calculation between between payload payloadcam- eracamera images images and andthe orbiter the orbiter image. image. In a Inseries a series of Chinese of Chinese lunar lunar exploration exploration missions, missions, the the firstfirst Chinese Chinese lunar lunar soft soft landing landing and and roving roving mi mission,ssion, Chang’e-3, Chang’e-3, landed landed on onMare Mare Imbrium Imbrium andand released released the the Yutu Yutu rover rover to to the the lunar lunar su surfacerface successfully successfully in inDecember December 2013 2013 [17]. [17 The]. The radio-trackingradio-tracking based based method method provided provided timely timely localization localization results results for for mission mission operations. operations. AfterAfter downlinking downlinking the the sequential sequential images images capt capturedured by the by descent the descent camera, camera, the refined the refined lo- cationlocation was was determined determined by byusing using the the image- image-basedbased method method [9]. [ 9In]. Inthe the Chang’e-4 Chang’e-4 and and Chang’e-5Chang’e-5 missions, missions, similar similar localization localization meth methodsods were were adopted adopted to tothe the landing landing location location determinationdetermination [13,14]. [13,14]. For For the the Yutu Yutu and and Yutu-2 Yutu-2 rovers rovers in inChina’s China’s lunar lunar rover rover missions, missions, the the dead-reckoningdead-reckoning and and cross cross site site image image matching matching based based visual visual localization localization were were employed employed forfor rover rover
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