ROS vs Mavlink for mapping and path planning

PX4 Autopilot System Architecture 🏗
1

Hi all.

I am planning to run a fixed-wing plane with PX4.
However, I plan to use it for some autonomous research, where I need to:

  1. Send velocity commands / way-points continuously
  2. Send sensor data (LiDar / Intel Realsense) for mapping to an external computer.

Essentially I am planning to use a custom path-planning algorithm that performs some obstacle avoidance, as well as precision landing on a moving target

My question is: whether it would be possible to accomplish the above tasks in solely in Mavlink, or would it be better to use the ROS-Mavlink bridge.

If the latter, then which is easier to get started with, the ROS2 bridge, or ROS1. I am familar with both ROS2 and ROS1, but I understand that the implementation with PX4 and Mavlink for these two are quite different depending on the version

I read through the documentation for both, but any advice is appreciated,

Thanks