Ussama Naal

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About

Ussama Naal is a leading researcher in autonomous space robotics, with a focus on enabling long-range navigation and robotic manipulation for planetary exploration. His work directly supports NASA’s Artemis program and the future of crewed and robotic missions to the Moon, Europa, Enceladus, and Titan. Naal’s most impactful contribution is the development of **LunarNav**, a crater-based localization system that allows lunar rovers to autonomously navigate tens of kilometers from base camps—a critical capability for resource prospecting and facility construction. This paper has already garnered 33 citations, reflecting its importance for upcoming lunar missions. He is also the principal architect of the **OceanWATERS** lander robotic arm operation system, an open-source simulator built on ROS and Gazebo that enables researchers to test onboard autonomy software for ocean world exploration. With 7 citations, this work is foundational for developing the next generation of autonomous sampling and manipulation systems in extreme environments. Naal’s research bridges the gap between simulation and real-world deployment, making him a key figure in the future of autonomous space exploration.