Nec Corporation

Chika Umegaki

Kenta Senzaki

Katsuya Odaka

Hironobu Mori

Kyoko Murozono

A satellite attitude estimation system includes an infrared sensor configured to capture an infrared image of a target satellite for which an attitude is to be estimated. The system determines, in the captured infrared image, a first pixel having a largest luminance and a second pixel having a smallest luminance in the infrared image. The system associates the first pixels with first coordinates of a 3D structure of the target satellite, and associates the second pixels with second coordinates of the 3D structure of the target satellite. The system computes a first normal vector to a surface of the 3D structure for the first coordinates, and computes a second normal vector to the surface of the 3D structure for the second coordinates. The system estimates a direction of the target satellite to the sun before the infrared image was taken, using the computed first and second normal vectors.

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Tokyo, Japan

Chika Umegaki