  In this work, we have analyzed the problem of relative pose initialization
between two satellites: a chaser and a non-cooperating target. The analysis has
been targeted to two close-range methods based on a monocular camera system:
the Sharma-Ventura-D'Amico (SVD) method and the silhouette matching method.
Both methods are based on a priori knowledge of the target geometry, but
neither fiducial markers nor a priori range measurements or state information
are needed. The tests were carried out using a 2U CubeSat mock-up as target
attached to a motorized rotary stage to simulate its relative motion with
respect to the chaser camera. A motion capture system was used as a reference
instrument that provides the fiducial relative motion between the two mock-ups
and allows to evaluate the performances of the initialization algorithms
analyzed.
