Image-based attitude maneuvers for space debris tracking

This paper proposes an image-based control scheme for tracking space debris using onboard optical sensors. The proposed strategy uses an onboard camera for detecting space debris. The camera is rigidly attached to the satellite; therefore specific attitude maneuvers need to be performed during different phases of the mission. First, the spacecraft orients its attitude to point the camera toward a fixed direction in space, and then when debris traces streak across the field of view of the camera, the spacecraft follows and tracks the motion of the debris. Finally, a disengagement maneuver is executed to stop the spacecraft rotation when the debris disappears from the camera field of view. The model and the developed control scheme take into account the typical characteristics of space-qualified cameras, and a Kalman filter is developed to reduce the effects of the camera noise, detect and predict the path of the debris in the image plane, and estimate the angular velocity of the spacecraft. The entire estimation/control scheme is then validated through numerical simulations, using a model of reaction wheels as the main attitude actuation system. The results demonstrate the viability of such maneuvers in a typical space debris surveillance mission scenario.