NASA lidar prototype targets gaps in 3D Earth maps
By Staff Writer · Published 10/21/2026, 9:25:01 AM ET
CASALS uses wavelength-based beam steering to scan a continuous swath, but NASA still must widen its reach and add onboard processing before a space-ready version.
NASA detailed a compact lidar prototype designed to replace separated measurement tracks with a continuous three-dimensional view of forests and terrain, a step toward fuller maps from orbit.
Researchers at Goddard Space Flight Center built the Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry Lidar System, or CASALS, with support from NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office. Project lead John Yorks and his team are developing it without the motorized mirrors used to redirect many laser instruments.
The prototype instead cycles a 1040-nanometer seed laser through 256 wavelengths. A transmission grating sends the pulses to different positions across the flight path, using the way each wavelength diffracts to steer the beam and assemble a continuous swath.
NASA says the detector converts 80% of returning light into an electrical signal, helping it register weaker reflections from dark surfaces or beneath dense vegetation. During a November 2024 campaign aboard a B200 King Air, the airborne instrument produced science-quality data on its first flights. From roughly five kilometers up, it reached 22-centimeter horizontal resolution, according to the agency.
The technology has not yet been prepared for orbit. NASA plans another flight in the Airborne Surface, Cryosphere, Ecosystem, and Nearshore Topography campaign in summer 2027. Before building a space-ready prototype, the team intends to widen the scan and add software that can process data onboard.
What it means
CASALS could close gaps left by space lidars that sample narrow, separated tracks, giving scientists a more continuous view of vegetation structure and ground elevation. That potential depends on the wider scan and onboard processing performing as intended in later testing.
The announcement describes a successful airborne prototype, not an approved space mission. The next confirmed milestone is the planned summer 2027 ASCENT flight; a launch date, spacecraft and operational Earth-mapping program have not been announced.
Source
This State & Nation summary is based on NASA’s original release, dated 2026-10-21. The reporting and statistics above are attributed to that publication.