The problem of forming a cover of the uncertainty area by reference images for optical navigation systems

Controlling the docking of noncooperative spacecraft requires information about the relative position of the active and passive spacecraft. This problem is solved by relative optical navigation systems that analyze visible images, identify (recognize) the observed spacecraft, and measure relative linear and angular coordinates. Since the aspect at which the passive spacecraft is observed can vary over a wide range (up to a full sphere), the image of the passive spacecraft itself changes accordingly over a wide range. Therefore, to solve the identification and measurement problems, a sufficiently large number of reference images is required. The article proposes a way to considerably reduce the number of reference images used to form a cover of the uncertainty area.