Robust 3D Vision for Autonomous Space Robotic Operations

This paper presents a model based vision system intended for satellite proximity operations. The system uses natural features on the satellite surfaces and three dimensional models of the satellites and docking interfaces, and it does not require any artificial markers or targets. The system processes images from stereo cameras to compute 3D data. The pose is determined using a fast version of an Iterative Closest Point algorithm. The system has been characterized under representative space-like conditions (illumination, material properties and trajectories) and proven to be robust to this environment.