Tracking the Trajectory of Space Debris in Close Proximity via a Vision-Based Method
Publication: Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 27, Issue 2
Abstract
The increasingly cluttered environment in space is placing a premium on future spacecraft and satellites that are capable of tracking and estimating the trajectory of unknown space debris autonomously without consistent communication with ground stations. In this paper, a vision-based debris trajectory–tracking method in close proximity is presented using two cameras onboard of two satellites in a formation. To differentiate the target debris from other clutters, a data-association technique is investigated. A two-stage nonlinear robust controller is developed to adjust the attitude of the satellites such that the target debris can be maintained within the field of view of the onboard cameras. Capabilities of the proposed estimation and control methods are validated in the simulations.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. Also, the authors appreciate the support from Jaydeep Mukherjee in the Florida Space Grant Consortium through the Research Grant No. 16299904-Y5.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Aerospace Engineering
Volume 27 • Issue 2 • March 2014
Pages: 238 - 248
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 13, 2012
Accepted: Jun 11, 2012
Published online: Feb 14, 2014
Published in print: Mar 1, 2014
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