Three-dimensional lunar surface reconstruction based on remote sensing imagery from Chang E-2

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a complete solution for effective, automatic and accurate reconstruction of the lunar surface based on the linear array push-broom imagery from Chang E-2 (CE-2). First, with the sparse ephemeris data, an approach for estimating the corresponding areas between forward (F) imagery and backward (B) imagery is proposed through exploiting the imaging characteristics of linear push-broom cameras. Second, feature based matching (FBM) is conducted between F and B imagery, followed by Area Based Matching (ABM) for dense correspondence. Third, the extrinsic parameters of every scan line are estimated according to the supplied sparse ephemeris, and the orientation matrix is derived. Finally, the digital ortho map (DOM) and digital elevation model (DEM) of one orbit are generated automatically. The results show that the relative and absolute accuracies of triangulation are relatively high and generally acceptable. The visualised 3D realistic scene and the mosaicked DOM and DEM of lunar surface validate the feasibility of the proposed solution.

Keywords:

• 3d reconstruction
• Camera orientation
• CE-2
• Corresponding point matching
• Linear array push-broom camera