To continue improving satellite geo-registration accuracy for positioning and pointing applications, Northrop Grumman has been awarded a phase two inertial navigation system-related contract from the United States Air Force Research Laboratory, as part of the Maintain Accurate Geo-registration via Image-nav Compensation (MAGIC) program.
Geo-registration of data has become critical for accurate communications between systems, especially in conditions where GPS is denied or access in unavailable. The pairing of registered images with unreferenced images allows aircraft to create more accurate maps, aiding in intelligence gathering and targeting.
Phase one of the MAGIC program (contracted to Northrop Grumman) integrated the geo-registration algorithms into navigation systems, where phase two will incorporate further improvements, such as a more detailed three dimensional (3D) map. The program ultimately aims to advance real-time geo-registration capabilities and further develop low-size, -weight, -power, and –cost camera systems for navigation purposes.