Validation of hazard detection strategies in a moon landing scenario by an advanced simulation framework

The success of future lunar missions relies heavily on the ability to perform safe and precise landings while maintaining autonomy. The Moon's surface presents numerous hazards, including steep slopes, large boulders, and permanently shadowed regions, which pose significant risks to the landing spacecraft. Current hazard detection algorithms often lack the capability to provide a comprehensive assessment of landing hazards, limiting their reliability in such conditions. To address these issues, it is essential to develop a simulation environment that allows users to test and refine their hazard detection algorithms in a controlled and flexible manner. This work presents a novel Unreal Engine-based framework, developed to enable the creation of high-fidelity lunar landing scenarios based on Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) of the Moon's south pole region. Leveraging advanced technologies such as Nanite for efficient geometry processing, Virtual Shadow Maps (VSMs) for accurate shadows, and Lumen for dynamic global illumination, the system provides a realistic simulation of lunar conditions which can be used to test and improve hazard detection methods.