On-orbit Moving Target Detection Method Based on Dual Images from Taijing-IV 01 Satellite

Abstract

With the evolution of satellite video technology, the domain has garnered increasing attention. Concurrently, advancements in deep learning have yielded numerous outcomes in target detection. This paper introduces a novel method for detecting moving targets, offering a broader detection range compared to traditional satellite video techniques, facilitating orbital target recognition from dual panchromatic image strips. Our experimental setup on the Taijing-IV 01 satellite, launched on February 27, 2022, successfully acquired two image strips separated by one second. These strips contain speed and directional information of moving objects, extractable through the frame differencing technique. We propose combining frame differencing with lightweight deep learning for target detection, extracting regions of interest (ROIs) to focus on areas with potential moving targets. This approach reduces the workload of wholeimage target detection, decreasing data processing volume by 89%. By optimizing the YOLOv8 network and using techniques like feature map fusion of low-level and high-resolution features, we enhance sensitivity to small targets. Consequently, the model size is reduced by 79%, the mean Average Precision (mAP) increases by approximately 1.8% and 4.5%, and detection speed rises by 26%. This method introduces a new paradigm in remote sensing data services, facilitating rapid acquisition and real-time transmission of positions and image information of moving targets to the ground. This significantly reduces bandwidth requirements for transmitting remote sensing information, presenting a novel strategy for data acquisition and processing in large-scale Earth observation systems and geoscientific applications.