Implementation and Validation of Lightweight Pose Estimation for Pico-Satellite Swarms using ToF Cameras

Shuhei Kosaka; Keiichi Yasumoto; Tomokazu Matsui; Hirohiko Suwa; Wataru Sasaki; Daisuke Wakao; Sumio Morioka; Takahiro Inagawa

doi:10.1145/3737611.3776951

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Implementation and Validation of Lightweight Pose Estimation for Pico-Satellite Swarms using ToF Cameras

https://doi.org/10.1145/3737611.3776951

Implementation and Validation of Lightweight Pose Estimation for Pico-Satellite Swarms using ToF Cameras

Jan 4, 2026
Shuhei Kosaka +7 more

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Abstract

We propose a low-cost method for precise position and attitude estimation in large-scale LEO satellite formations. In our approach, anchor satellites equipped with ToF cameras capture point cloud data from nearby satellites and apply a template matching technique using an efficient 3D template model. Hardware experiments achieved a position error of less than 8 mm. A total of 217 satellites were processed in 6.5 seconds on a Raspberry Pi 4, demonstrating computational and power efficiency suitable for in-flight operation.