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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
The continually increasing demand for ground-based tracking resources require that spacecraft include autonomous capabilities that use on-board processing to maintain ac- curate state solutions for guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C).Through the use of on- board sensors and computationally tractable measurement processing, state estimation methods can maintain accurate solutions that are critical for time-sensitive mission events and commands. Delays and safety risks caused by missed communications availability with ground operators can be mitigated by on-board state estimation for relative motion applications like rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD), as well as inspection and capture missions for uncooperative spacecraft. Although traditional camera technology continues to improve, the development of event-based sensors provides an alternative camera type that could be leveraged to improve the frequency of navigation solutions required for accurate on-board state estimation. This project proposes the use of event-based cameras to improve relative motion estimation through the integration of shape detection and data association methods along with the development of corresponding tools for measurement processing in a navigation filter.
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