EDWARDS, Calif. - NASA and its partners recently tested an aircraft guidance system that could help planes maintain a precise course even while flying at high speeds up to 500 mph. The instrument is Soxnav, the culmination of more than 30 years of development of aircraft navigation systems, Erica Heim writes for NASA.
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12 February 2025 - In December 2024, NASA’s G-IV aircraft completed its first test flight for the Soxnav navigation system from Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. Engineers from NASA Armstrong, JPL, and BAERI collaborated on the project.
Soxnav’s 3D automated steering provides precise landing guidance in low visibility, building on previous navigation technologies. It enhances data collection for AirSAR-NG, which uses three radars to monitor Earth’s surface changes. Designed for various aircraft and sensors, Soxnav supports advanced Earth science research, offering cost-effective, high-quality data to improve climate understanding and help mitigate future extreme weather events.
“The objective was to demonstrate this new system can keep a high-speed aircraft within just a few feet of its target track, and to keep it there better than 90% of the time,” said John Sonntag, BAERI independent consultant co-developer of Soxnav.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
