Autonomous Fault-Tolerant Guidance, Navigation and Control System for Automated Rendezvous and Docking

Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking is a critical technology for several programs such as DARPA-Advanced Space Transportation and Robotic Orbiter (ASTRO) program, NASA-Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, International Space Station (ISS) assembly andservicing, and rendezvous operations such as those planned by the Air Force XSS-11 program. One of the critical issues for autonomous rendezvous and docking systems is the ability to estimate the relative position between the Chase spacecraft and theResident Space Object (RSO). Under this effort, SSC will develop a Vision System for Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (VISARD) containing a comprehensive suite of Vision-based algorithms for estimation of relative position, relative velocity, angularvelocity, and RSO pose. Additional features include algorithms for fusion and cross-validation of video-based and laser-based estimates, and algorithms for computing optimal minimum fuel circumnavigation path for RSO imaging. VISARD will be suitable forboth stereo and single-camera systems. Phase II efforts will also comprise extensive hardware-in-the-loop tests, and testing and evaluation using actual flight data. For this effort and Phase III commercialization, SSC has teamed up with Pyramid VisionTechnologies (a subsidiary of Sarnoff Corporation), and NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory.