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3D Sonar on Mars

In the last decades our never-ending desire for space exploration has grown exponentially. In this endeavour, one of the major points of interest is the red planet Mars. To autonomously navigate the Martian terrains a combination of optical sensors (LiDAR, Camera) are used in the latest NASA Perseverance Rover. However, the harsh Martian climate and dust storms can significantly impair the accuracy of these sensors due to their use of light as a medium. By utilising a 3D sonar sensor, which is not affected by bad visibility, we can attempt to reduce navigation issues. However, because of the many differences between the Earth and Mars (e.g. temperature, atmospheric pressure…), a degradation in performance can be expected for the 3D sonar sensor in comparison to its performance on Earth. We developed a simulation which can give us an estimate of the performance differences between a 3D sonar on Earth and one on Mars. This simulation is then used to asses performance in different realistic scenarios, like high winds and component failure. A Martian sonar would have reduced range compared to its terrestrial counterpart, but we believe it to be a worthwhile addition to current Mars rover's navigation methods.