Shape reconstruction of a tumbling unknown orbital target by passive imaging

The capability to approach and service non-cooperative targets is becoming an important asset in space operations. The determination of target’s relative kinematic state as observed by the chaser is required, starting from the limited number of images captured only from attained points of view. Due to the extremely large range of possible poses and light conditions, an extensive test campaign based on numerical simulations is required to validate candidate algorithms. A tool simulating in-orbit acquisition of the target image, and a process successful in identifying and matching the features, managing their appearance and disappearance during the approach, are presented.