Related papers: Bayesian Shape Reconstruction and Optimal Guidance…
Asteroids with companions constitute an excellent sample for studying the collisional and dynamical evolution of minor planets. The currently known binary population were discovered by different complementary techniques that produce, for…
A new era of space exploration and exploitation is fast approaching. A multitude of spacecraft will flow in the future decades under the propulsive momentum of the new space economy. Yet, the flourishing proliferation of deep-space assets…
The apparent magnitude of elongated small bodies is time-dependent over their rotation phase. Therefore, previously undiscovered aspherical minor planets may experience a shape-driven selection effect in systematic surveys versus their…
This paper presents two control algorithms enabling a UAV to circumnavigate an unknown target using range and range rate (i.e., the derivative of range) measurements. Given a prescribed orbit radius, both control algorithms (i) tend to…
We are interested in stable periodic orbits for spacecrafts in the gravitational field of minor celestial bodies. The stable periodic orbits around minor celestial bodies are useful not only for the mission design of the deep space…
Object surface reconstruction brings essential benefits to robot grasping, object recognition, and object manipulation. When measuring the surface distribution of an unknown object by tapping, the greatest challenge is to select tapping…
Machine learning, and eventually true artificial intelligence techniques, are extremely important advancements in astrophysics and astronomy. We explore the application of deep learning using neural networks in order to automate the…
We propose a method for predicting the 3D shape of a deformable surface from a single view. By contrast with previous approaches, we do not need a pre-registered template of the surface, and our method is robust to the lack of texture and…
Automated sky surveys frequently report sparse-in-time multiband photometric observations of asteroids passing through their fields of view. Photometric data are currently available for tens of thousands of asteroids, and new data…
Accurate gravity field calculations are necessary for landing on planets, moons, asteroids, minimoons, or other irregularly shaped bodies, but current methods become increasingly inaccurate and slow near the surface. We present high…
Spacecraft anomaly detection is critical for mission safety, yet deploying sophisticated models on-board presents significant challenges due to hardware constraints. This paper investigates three approaches for spacecraft telemetry anomaly…
This study evaluates a technique for determining the mass of a potentially hazardous asteroid from a high-speed flyby in the context of a rapid reconnaissance planetary defense scenario. We consider a host spacecraft that dispenses a small…
Accurate measurements of osculating orbital elements are essential in order to understand and model the complex dynamic behavior of Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs). ESA's Gaia mission promises to have great potential in this respect. In this…
Interstellar objects (ISOs) represent a compelling and under-explored category of celestial bodies, providing physical laboratories to understand the formation of our solar system and probe the composition and properties of material formed…
Autonomous platforms operating in the oceans require accurate navigation to successfully complete their mission. In this regard, the initial heading estimation accuracy and the time required to achieve it play a critical role. The initial…
Stellar radial velocity (RV) measurements have proven to be a very successful method for detecting extrasolar planets. Analysing RV data to determine the parameters of the extrasolar planets is a significant statistical challenge owing to…
Approaching a tumbling target safely is a critical challenge in space debris removal missions utilizing robotic manipulators onboard servicing satellites. In this work, we propose a trajectory planning method based on nonlinear optimization…
Initial orbit determination (IOD) from line-of-sight (i.e., bearing) measurements is a classical problem in astrodynamics. Indeed, there are many well-established methods for performing the IOD task when given three line-of-sight…
To improve ATR identification of ships at sea requires an advanced ISAR processor - one that not only provides focused images but can also determine the pose of the ship. This tells us whether the image shows a profile (vertical plane)…
Exploring an unknown environment without colliding with obstacles is one of the essentials of autonomous vehicles to perform diverse missions such as structural inspections, rescues, deliveries, and so forth. Therefore, unmanned aerial…