Relative Navigation and Mapping using Visual Point Clouds & Neural View Synthesis

In response to the 2025 NASA SBIR Phase I solicitation subtopic H9.03, Advanced Space, LLC (Advanced Space) and partner The University of Colorado, Boulder (CU Boulder) propose to develop through trade studies an RPOD-focused, monocular optical navigation and mapping pipeline for unknown, uncooperative space objects that is robust to the harsh lighting conditions of space. The first algorithm in the pipeline is CloudNav, a new relative pose estimation solution that uses visual point cloud triangulation and matching, which was developed for use in asteroid-relative navigation and mapping. The team at CU Boulder invented the CloudNav algorithm with funding from the NASA JPL SURP Program. Our intent is to leverage this preexisting relationship between CU Boulder, JPL, and Advanced Space to collaborate on the maturation of CloudNav. These same techniques will be applied to RPOD datasets to generate relative pose observables that then can be passed to a specialized Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) implementation to process dynamical constraints, additional parameters, and possibly additional measurements to enhance state observability. The combination of CloudNav measurements with the high-heritage, mature EKF represents a combination of algorithms for relative navigation that is likely amenable to real-time, onboard implementation in future phases of this effort. Finally, with a robust relative navigation solution in combination with the input camera images, the Advanced Space team proposes to postprocess these outputs in a set of identified neural view synthesis (NVS) algorithms to obtain dense, relightable, photorealistic object reconstructions that could aid investigators in interpreting target object characteristics and even material properties. Advanced Space has already invested in an IRAD project to demonstrate that publicly available NVS algorithms can be trained to produce strikingly accurate reconstructions of asteroid shapes given a set of input images and poses.
Benefits: The navigation pipeline will be offered primarily as a commercial service for SSA missions NASA. These missions may include asteroid close approaches and mining, scientific studies of celestial bodies, and spacecraft to spacecraft docking scenarios like refueling needs or the lunar Gateway. Additionally, the data from shape reconstruction can be sold commercially to NASA. The primary market for this technology is civil space applications for RPO, and in future phases of development, potentially lunar and other celestial body mapping. NASA priorities in the coming years include numerous missions that would require RPOD, including the Gateway lunar space station. In future phases of development, Advanced Space will assess the possibilities of broadening the applicability into terrain mapping for planetary and asteroid science missions, as well as landings. Services such as the Commercial Lunar Provider Service (CLPS), could leverage this technology to improve the success rate for lunar landing. This technology also would have significant applicability for the academic and scientific activities NASA performs. Asteroid mapping, which was a scientific objective for missions such as OSIRIS-REx, would benefit from the ability to create onboard 3D renderings for downlink. For national security, this technology would enhance DoD abilities to analyze and characterize hostile assets, allowing for assessment of capabilities onboard and the intention of the spacecraft. This capability, in addition to the benefits of RPOD for mission extension and repair, would be a key capability for the Space Force and AFRL. This technology also has direct applications to object characterization and resolving space objects, which are relevant topics to space domain awareness (SDA). Advanced Space also has recently joined the SDA Tools, Applications, & Processing (TAP) Lab Apollo Accelerator Cohort #5 in Colorado Springs. Leveraging this experience will ensure that Advanced Space is well positioned to address the technology gaps currently present and provide the most useful possible tool and integration of that tool for the end-users as a commercialization route. Recently in March 2025, the individual who owns the SDA TAP Lab program (Major Sean Allen) specifically identified the need for new satellite pose estimation software tools. Several markets exist within commercial space, including space debris removal, which often requires comprehensive characterization of an object to determine potential grapple points. This technology would assist in characterizing and closing spacecraft maneuvers to ensure successful capture of space debris. Advanced Space also is well-positioned to market to CLPS suppliers and has current and former partners among those providers. Longer term, this technology would assist in nascent or unrealized markets and technologies, including lunar and asteroid mining, docking for transfer of materials manufactured on orbit, and future commercial space stations.