US 12,250,464 B2
Process for the acquisition of images of a space object in terrestrial orbit by a spacecraft in terrestrial orbit
Cyrille Tourneur, Toulouse (FR)
Assigned to AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS, Toulouse (FR)
Appl. No. 18/711,010
Filed by AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS, Toulouse (FR)
PCT Filed Nov. 16, 2022, PCT No. PCT/FR2022/052110
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 16, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/089275, PCT Pub. Date May 25, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2112045 (FR), filed on Nov. 17, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2025/0024153 A1, Jan. 16, 2025
Int. Cl. H04N 23/695 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/695 (2023.01) 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for the acquisition, by a spacecraft in terrestrial orbit, of a so-called useful image of a space object in terrestrial orbit, said space object being visible from the spacecraft on a trajectory along which the space object is gradually approaching the spacecraft from an upstream distal region of said trajectory towards a proximal region of said trajectory where a distance between the space object and the spacecraft is minimized, said method comprising steps of:
controlling an orientation of an array-type detection sensor of the spacecraft in order to orient a line of sight of the array-type detection sensor towards the space object when said space object is located in the upstream distal region,
acquiring, by the array-type detection sensor, at least one so-called detection image of the space object located in the upstream distal region,
determining trajectory-tracking information on the basis of the at least one detection image,
controlling an orientation of an array-type acquisition sensor, on the basis of the trajectory-tracking information, in order to orient a line of sight of the array-type acquisition sensor towards the space object when said space object is located in the proximal region,
acquiring, by the array-type acquisition sensor, at least one useful image of the space object located in the proximal region, the space object being represented in the at least one useful image with a better resolution than in the at least one detection image.