Fast Initial Pose Estimation of Spacecraft from LiDAR Point Cloud Data

Kurzfassung

Advanced mission concepts like On-Orbit Servicing or Active Space Debris Removal require reliable relative navigation to a possibly uncooperative target. As optical navigation sensors, 3D-LiDAR scanners provide a three-dimensional point cloud of the target. For 6-DOF pose estimation, the tracker algorithm must be provided with an initial pose. This paper presents the prototype of a pose initialization algorithm tailored for the boundary conditions of spacecraft relative navigation. Test results based on real LiDAR data are evaluated.