In-Orbit Demonstration of an Optical Navigation System for Autonomous Rendezvous Docking

摘要

In 1998 and 1999, unmanned autonomous rendezvous docking experiments with the Engineering Test Satellite VII were successfully performed three times. In these experiments, the optical navigation system was first activated in the closed-loop control system from the relative distance of 500 m to docking, and it enabled highly accurate rendezvous and low-impact docking procedures. The optical navigation system consisted of two optical navigation sensors, which were the rendezvous laser radar and the proximity camera sensor. It had the unique features that each sensor adapted simple optics without complex scan mechanisms to enhance reliability and it had redundant measurement methods for the most critical docking phase, to improve safety. The configurations, specifications, and coun-termeasures against optical interference of the optical navigation system were designed based on the Engineering Test Satellite VII rendezvous docking procedures, which assumed autonomous rendezvous docking between the unmanned spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The optical navigation system worked better than the requirements during the rendezvous docking experiments. The optical navigation system and its design methods can be applied to future autonomous rendezvous docking systems to perform in-orbit servicing and planet explorer missions.