Vision-based sensor package for satellite docking

This paper presents the design of the laboratory prototype of MIDAS (Multifunctional Interface for Satellite Docking, Assembly, and Servicing), an innovative integrated docking and capture interface for satellites. The description is focused on the sensor package and relative pose evaluation algorithms between a chaser satellite and a target satellite. The measurement system is composed of a vision system comprising two cameras with different features. The work comprises an uncertainty analysis to highlight the effects on the pose evaluation of the main uncertainty sources and of some design parameters. Another contribution is the experimental verification of computational feasibility for the proposed reliable approach.