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The knowledge bank of ESA’s R&D programmes

Fast loop image processing for line-of-sight accurate pointing

Programme
GSTP
Programme Reference
G627-065EC
Prime Contractor
THALES ALENIA SPACE FRANCE
Start Date
End Date
Status
Closed
Country
France
Fast loop image processing for line-of-sight accurate pointing
Objectives

Design, model and breadboard a Line of sight stabilization system for high accuracy pointing missions (GEO-HR, LEO, ARIEL)

Description

On-board disturbance sources such as solar array drive mechanism, stepper motors or low frequency micro-vibrations sources, degrade the line of sight pointing performances and image quality. Mitigation solutions require embarking expensive equipment such as very high performance gyroscopes and star trackers. The system developed in the frame of this activity aims at improving pointing performances while reducing cost by allowing using low cost gyroscopes and star trackers for high accuracy pointing missions in LEO and in GEO. 

Design and development of real-time image processing algorithms to reconstruct the line of sight rotation angles directly and exclusively from image  
Simulations for GEO-HR, LEO and ARIEL application cases
Design, development and manufacturing of a bread-board including a GEO-HR images engraved in a substrate, lenses, fast camera, FPGA
Hardware tests performed show excellent performances with a residual error below 2% pixel for a rotation up to +/- 1 pixel
Capacity to acquire image with rotations larger than 1 pixel
Identification of hardware to be further developed and associated companies
Application Domain
Earth Observation
Technology Domain
1 - On-board Data Subsystems
16 - Optics
17 - Optoelectronics
2 - Space System Software
5 - Space System Control
8 - System Design & Verification
Competence Domain
3-Avionic Systems
Initial TRL
TRL 2
Target TRL
TRL 4
Achieved TRL
TRL 4
Public Document
Executive Summary