Guidance and Navigation Using Sun, Stars, and Light Video Recognition

NASA requires innovative guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) technology that addresses the high performance, reliability, power and volume requirements of future Earth Science (ES) missions. Specifically, ES architectures will include platforms of varying size and complexity in a number of mission trajectories and orbits. Novel approaches for autonomous control of large fleets of spacecraft, rockets, balloons and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are desired. Special interest is apportioned to augmenting and providing alternatives to GN&C, relative range and attitude determination during close formation, and proximity operations using video image processing technology. Broadata Communications, Inc. (BCI) proposes a novel vision-based attitude determination and relative range GN&C system called Guiding Stars, Sun and Light (GSSL). It is based on an innovative, real-time, video image, point distance set based, recognition technology that works well with the problem at hand.