Advances in Autonomous Orbital Rendez-vous Technology: The XSS-11 Lidar Sensor
- Paper number
IAC-06-D1.1.03
- Author
Dr. Robert Richards, Optech Incorporated, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Jeff Tripp, Optech Incorporated, Canada
- Coauthor
Dr. Sergey Pashin, Optech Incorporated, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Dan King, MacDonald Dettwiler Space and Advanced Robotics Ltd., Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. James Bolger, MDA, Canada
- Coauthor
Mr. Menachem (Manny) Nimelman, MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates, Canada
- Year
2006
- Abstract
As we embark on the new millennium, many nations have expressed a renewed vision for exploring our neighboring worlds and creating a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Space is being increasingly used as a platform from which to understand, protect and secure our home planet. With this new space renaissance comes the need for sophisticated autonomous robotic technologies for use in Earth orbit and on other planets. The ability of robotic or crewed spacecraft to rendezvous and dock/birth autonomously is a key technical milestone in humanity’s space exploration efforts. The US Air Force XSS-11 spacecraft is currently in low Earth orbit demonstrating a sophisticated scanning laser sensor for autonomous satellite rendezvous and servicing missions co-developed by MDA and Optech. The RLS long range scanning laser range imaging system designed for 3D imaging applications is compact, lightweight and low power: ideally suited for remote and robotic applications. It features a fully programmable scanner with a wide field of regard, and a precise time-of-flight laser range measurement system that provides high-speed, accurate, point-cloud data from very short to very long ranges. The potential applications of this technology include: robotic vision and pose determination; autonomous navigation and guidance; mapping and surveying; on-orbit rendezvous and docking/berthing; planetary landing; visible geology; and rover navigation. The development of advanced space lidar systems capable of enabling autonomous robotic systems with 3D sensory perception presents challenges at the operational, system and design level. This paper outlines the technological issues and challenges and will describe the concepts of operation of advanced lidar systems for several on-orbit and planetary exploration applications. This paper will discuss the physical characteristics of the system as well as the performance of the lidar itself.
- Abstract document