Validation Of Mission Critical Vision-Based Navigation Systems For Planetary Landers, Rovers And In-Orbit Rendezvous

TY - GEN

T1 - Validation Of Mission Critical Vision-Based Navigation Systems For Planetary Landers, Rovers And In-Orbit Rendezvous

AU - Martin, Iain

AU - Parkes, Stephen (Steve)

AU - Dunstan, Martin

AU - Rowell, Nicholas (Nick)

AU - Gherardi, Daniele

A2 - Salehi, Sohrab

PY - 2014/6/6

Y1 - 2014/6/6

N2 - Vision-based navigation systems are being designed for a wide range of space applications including planetary landing, small-body rendezvous and landing, planetary rovers and in-orbit rendezvous and docking. Vision-based navigation is attractive because it can support safe, precise landing and has relatively low mass and power consumption, however, the testing and validation of a mission critical vision-based navigation systems is a difficult task. Vision systems are now able to perform absolute navigation, surface relative navigation and hazard detection tasks. While testing the flight system on a helicopter flying over a desert on Earth is possible, although very expensive, a terrestrial analogue for flying around a tumbling asteroid is not practical. This paper discusses the challenges in providing a simulation environment to test planetary landers, surface rovers and orbital rendezvous and describes the PANGU tool which can be used to test these mission-critical navigation systems. Given the position and orientation of a camera above the surface, PANGU generates the corresponding image and the position of the sun and other illumination conditions can be modelled. PANGU has been designed to give a high degree of realism while operating at real-time speeds to enable closed loop simulation of complete vision-based navigation systems.

AB - Vision-based navigation systems are being designed for a wide range of space applications including planetary landing, small-body rendezvous and landing, planetary rovers and in-orbit rendezvous and docking. Vision-based navigation is attractive because it can support safe, precise landing and has relatively low mass and power consumption, however, the testing and validation of a mission critical vision-based navigation systems is a difficult task. Vision systems are now able to perform absolute navigation, surface relative navigation and hazard detection tasks. While testing the flight system on a helicopter flying over a desert on Earth is possible, although very expensive, a terrestrial analogue for flying around a tumbling asteroid is not practical. This paper discusses the challenges in providing a simulation environment to test planetary landers, surface rovers and orbital rendezvous and describes the PANGU tool which can be used to test these mission-critical navigation systems. Given the position and orientation of a camera above the surface, PANGU generates the corresponding image and the position of the sun and other illumination conditions can be modelled. PANGU has been designed to give a high degree of realism while operating at real-time speeds to enable closed loop simulation of complete vision-based navigation systems.

UR - http://www.congrexprojects.com/2014-events/14a01/scientific-content/final-programme

UR - https://uppsagd.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/gnc-2014-final-programme.pdf

M3 - Conference contribution

BT - GNC 2014: 9th International ESA Conference on Guidance, Navigation & Control Systems, Porto, Portugal, 2-6 June 2014

ER -