Calibration procedures of a vision-based system for relative motion estimation between satellites flying in proximity

•The relative motion between cooperating satellites is estimated.•Square markers and monocular camera are used for the relative pose estimation.•Motion Capture system provides fiducial measurements for the calibration.•Reference frames aligned with millimeter and degree levels of accuracy.•Experimen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Measurement : journal of the International Measurement Confederation 2020-02, Vol.151, p.107161, Article 107161
Main Authors: Valmorbida, Andrea, Mazzucato, Mattia, Pertile, Marco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Calibration
Calibration procedures
Estimating techniques
Ground-based spacecraft hardware simulator
Inspector satellite
Markers
Motion capture
Motion simulation
Motions capture systems
Proximity
Satellite tracking
Satellites
Space missions
Spacecraft
Vision systems
Vision-based relative motion estimation
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Summary:•The relative motion between cooperating satellites is estimated.•Square markers and monocular camera are used for the relative pose estimation.•Motion Capture system provides fiducial measurements for the calibration.•Reference frames aligned with millimeter and degree levels of accuracy.•Experimental validation conducted in a micro-gravity simulator ground-based testbed. Relative Measurements systems represent a key technology for next generation space missions that require proximity operations between satellites. Before on-orbit validation, the sensors and algorithms need to be validated in laboratory employing a good fiducial reference of the relative motion and specific calibration procedures concerning the estimation of roto-translation matrices between different reference frames. This paper presents a set of calibration procedures that allow to assess the accuracy in estimating the relative pose between a Target spacecraft, equipped with a set of square markers, and an Inspector satellite moving in proximity and hosting a monocular camera. An external Motion Capture system is used to track the motion of a set of spherical markers attached to both the Target and the Inspector, providing a reliable fiducial reference for the relative pose between the two spacecraft. The proposed calibration procedures were tested using the SPARTANS hardware facility of the University of Padova.
ISSN:0263-2241
1873-412X
DOI:10.1016/j.measurement.2019.107161