The traditional celestial navigation system (CNS) is used the moon, stars, and planets as celestial guides. Then the star tracker (i.e. track one star or planet or angle between it) and star sensor (i.e. sense many star simultaneous) be used to determine the attitude of the spacecraft. Pulsar navigation also be introduced to CNS. Maser is another interested celestial in radio astronomy which has strong flux density as spectral line. Now we analysis the principle of maser navigation which base on measuring Doppler shift frequency spectra and the feasibility that use the exist instrument. We give the navigation equations of maser-based navigation system and discuss the integrated navigation use maser, then give the perspective in the Milky Way and the intergalatic. Our analysis show that use one meter antenna can achieve tens of meters position accuracy which better than todays star sensor. After integrated with maser navigation, pulsar navigation and star sensor in CNS and inertial navigation system, is it not only increase the reliability and redundancy of navigation or guiding system but also can less or abolish the depend of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) which include GPS, GRONSS, Galileo and BeiDou et al. Maser navigation can give the continuous position in deep space, that means we can freedom fly successfully in the Milky Way which use celestial navigation that include maser, pulsar and traditional star sensor. Maser as nature beacon in the universe will make human freely fly in the space of the Milky Way, even outer of it. That is extraordinary in the human evolution to type III of Kardashev civilizations.
Download