Satellite Formation Flying Control Using Image Processing

A problem of a formation flying control is observed. As an example a concept of a multysatellite configuration ("space commercial") is described. Space advertisement is realized by groups of specialized free flying and cable-connected satellites, and their combinations. Construction of a space commercial satellite and a set of a control system equipment is presented. Several methods for group configuration are presented: periodic impulse correction of each flying satellite position formation; method of a satellite positioning on nocoplanar orbits. Other methods include combinations of methods mentioned above. Configuration control using onboard video camera with a wide-angle image detector is presented. Characteristics of an optical system are shown. Navigation parameters of a using a received observed videoimage are estimated. A method of a relative position measurement is described. The method detects a video track of a moving ahead satellite on the matrix detector. According to the method lines of the matrix detector are positioned transversely and columns are positioned in parallel with vertical axis of the orbital coordinate system. Course of the slave satellite is proportional to the travel of the centre of the lider satellite mark on the matrix detector columns. Pitch of the slave satellite is proportional to the travel of the centre of the leader satellite mark on the matrix detector lines. A video-display processing algorithm is developed and researched. The algorithm contains procedures of a forming, localization of the leader satellite mark, deviation angle calculation. The algorithm uses structural method, detecting bright spots (image syntactic characteristics). Efficiency of the algorithm depends on the leader satellite mark brightness, size, light-striking, distance.