Research progress of autonomous planetary landing site assessment and selection

Abstract

<p indent=0mm>To address potential safety threats posed by various terrain conditions on the planetary surface, the recent development of autonomous planetary landing site assessment and selection methods is systematically reviewed in this paper. First, the mission characteristics and main technical challenges in landing site selection are summarized. Critical factors to be considered in landing site selection are introduced together with the selection process and applications of the Safety Index method. Then, an overview of the research progress of autonomous landing site assessment and selection methods is provided. Past missions and theoretical developments are analyzed from the aspects of hazard detection, terrain safety assessment, and comprehensive landing site selection. Lastly, based on the growing requirements of mission intelligence in future planetary exploration, several suggestions and recommendations with regard to landing site selection technology development trends are proposed.