SUMO/FREND: vision system for autonomous satellite grapple

SUMO/FREND is a risk reduction program for an advanced servicing spacecraft sponsored by DARPA and executed by the Naval Center for Space Technology at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC. The overall program will demonstrate the integration of many techniques needed in order to autonomously rendezvous and capture customer satellites at geosynchronous orbits. A flight-qualifiable payload is currently under development to prove out challenging aspects of the mission. The grappling process presents computer vision challenges to properly identify and guide the final step in joining the pursuer craft to the customer. This paper will provide an overview of the current status of the project with an emphasis on the challenges, techniques, and directions of the machine vision processes to guide the grappling.