AMADEE-18: Vision-based unmanned aerial vehicle navigation for Analog Mars Mission (AVI-NAV)

In the context of the AMADEE-18 analog Mars mission, a team of researchers focused on testing the localization of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on Mars. Due to the computational limitations of robot helicopters, accurate localization is crucial for autonomous navigation and path planning. In the absence of a global positioning system, the team tested a visual-inertial odometry (VIO) algorithm and camera in a Mars-like analog environment to evaluate its feasibility for localization on Mars. Flight datasets from various terrains were used to challenge the functionality of the VIO algorithm and provide insights into the desired surface structure, texture, and mission times for surface relative navigation of UAVs on Mars. The study provides valuable information for the challenges associated with human-based exploration of the Red Planet.