Introduction
The main output of space missions is typically scientific data. Naturally, the quality of the data, i.e. the scientific value of the data, is a key characteristic of the mission’s return. Given that missions often take place over vast distances. It is not possible to return to Earth all the measurements obtained, mainly due to communication bandwidth constraints. So essentially there are two solutions – data compression or prioritisation of the most scientifically valuable data, or a combination of these. This time the story is about the prioritisation part, to extract from the image exactly the region where the SSSB is visible, which could be a comet or an asteroid. Such a solution is needed for an OPIC instrument for the ESA mission Comet Interceptor.
The Comet Interceptor mission, part of ESA’s F-class portfolio, aims to visit a long-period comet, originating from the Oort Cloud and entering the Solar System for the first time. The mission consists of three spacecraft—main spacecraft A and two ‘sub-spacecraft,’ B1 and B2. Spacecraft B2 is equipped with the Optical Periscopic Imager for Comets (OPIC), developed by the University of Tartu, to capture images of the comet nucleus and its environment during the flyby.
Given the mission’s brief proximity to the target and the risk of spacecraft damage from dust impacts, OPIC must operate autonomously to prioritize and transmit images of the comet nucleus during a critical moment of the flyby. Central to this functionality is the IMPRIO IP core, developed by Bitlake Technologies, which autonomously identifies the comet nucleus and extracts regions of interest (ROIs) for prioritization.
Challenge
The IMPRIO IP core is required to process 2048 x 2048, 12-bit images at a minimum throughput of 6 frames per second, addressing challenges such as the comet nucleus unknown shape, size, and unpredictable visual features. Its integration into the ProASIC3L FPGA—already constrained by the OPIC camera head’s image readout functionality—demanded a resource-efficient design without hardware-level DSP support.
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To meet these constraints, a multiscale Laplacian of Gaussian blob detection algorithm was selected for its noise resilience, robustness to damaged pixels, and suitability for optimized FPGA implementation. The multiscale approach further enhances target centroid detection, adapting to variations in the nucleus size during the flyby.
"The resulting IMPRIO IP core is integrated in the OPIC camera head (3D Plus 3DCM734-1-SS). It achieves ~7.1 fps, exceeding performance requirements while efficiently utilizing the FPGA’s available logic resources and maintaining the timing closure required for OPIC camera operation."
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