ESA GNC technologies for asteroid characterization, sample-return, and deflection missions

ESA has been developing on-board Guidance, Navigation, and Control technologies for characterization, sample-return, and deflection missions to asteroids and comets (Rosetta, Don-Quijote, Marco-Polo, AIM). GNC systems have been prototyped for all mission phases, from early detection until landing. The GNC technologies are based on vision-based navigation hybridized with other sensors. This paper provides an overview of the ESA activities and results in its effort to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for GNC systems on those complex missions.