Maxar Intelligence has announced that drones have developed a new visual navigation technology in which drones can determine their position without the need for GPS. This software, called Raptor, makes the direction of drones in environments where there is no access to GPS signals using detailed 3D maps created from Maxar’s satellite images.

How does the raptor work?

Raptor, which works with visual and geographical data instead of GPS, assigns the location and direction by comparing real -time camera images of the drone with the previously created 3D land model. The system consists of three basic components. The module on the drone allows the first basic component drone to determine its position in real time. Another component geographically records the video flow of the dron with Maxar’s 3D land data. A separate laptop -based application allows operators to remove sensitive ground coordinates from air streams by working with drone controllers.

Maxar Intelligence Product Director Peter Wilczynski said that Raptor is designed as a system that can replace GPS, and that the signal will not be deliberately mixed (GPS-Jamming), even in regions of GPS, even in regions of GPS. Raptor software, on the other hand, has been developed based on the 3D mapping expert Vricon technologies, which Maxar acquired in 2020.

Can be used in the military field

Stating that this technology will not only be limited to commercial use, Wilczynski underlines that it has a significant potential in defense and security. Offering a critical solution especially for autonomous systems, Raptor makes it possible for drones of different manufacturers to share data on the same network.

Maxar announced that Raptor was tested by Beta users for several months before being released. A spokesman for the company, stating that this new system means a strategic transformation for Maxar, not only provided satellite images, but they are moving to develop special software solutions by processing these data.