Neuromorphic Sensor Event-Rate Monitoring for Satellite Characterization

Abstract

A neuromorphic event-based camera was fitted to Electro Optic Systems’s 1.8 m telescope at Mount Stromlo in Canberra and used to observe 14 satellites in a variety of orbit regimes. Unique patterns in the fluctuations of each satellite’s event rate were analyzed to assess the utility of event-based sensors for satellite characterization. Event-rate curves were shown to be useful for determining the rotation rate of nonstabilized satellites, constraining the range of possible satellite orientations, and for differentiating between materials responsible for bright specular reflections in some cases.