Computer vision based navigation for spacecraft proximity operations
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The use of computer vision for spacecraft relativenavigation and proximity operations within an unknown environment
is an enabling technology for a number of future commercial and
scientific space missions. This thesis presents three first steps
towards a larger research initiative to develop and mature these
technologies. The first step that is presented is the design and
development of a flight-traceable upgrade to the Synchronize
Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites, known as the
SPHERES Goggles. This upgrade enables experimental research and
maturation of computer vision based navigation technologies on the
SPHERES satellites. The second step that is presented is the
development of an algorithm for vision based relative spacecraft
navigation that uses a fiducial marker with the minimum number of
known point correspondences. An experimental evaluation of this
algorithm is presented that determines an upper bound on the
accuracy and precision of this system. The third step towards
vision based relative navigation in an unknown environment is a
preliminary investigation into the computational issues associated
with high performance embedded computing. The computational
characteristics of vision based relative navigation algorithms are
discussed along with the requirements that they impose on
computational hardware. A trade study is performed which compares a
number of dierent commercially available hardware architectures to
determine which would provide the best computational performance
per unit of electrical power.
Author: Brent Tweddle
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1568555721