# Resource-constrained FPGA Design for Satellite Component Feature Extraction

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.09055 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.09055/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 3 of its 26 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 22 Jan 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [ImageNet Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.0575/) (2014)
- [You Only Look Once: Unified, Real-Time Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.02640/) (2015)
- [YOLOv4: Optimal Speed and Accuracy of Object Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.10934/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [FPGA-Based Neural Network Accelerators for Space Applications: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.16173/) (2025)
- [SpY: A Context-Based Approach to Spacecraft Component Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.18709/) (2024)
- [Evaluating Four FPGA-accelerated Space Use Cases based on Neural Network Algorithms for On-board Inference](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.14091/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The effective use of computer vision and machine learning for on-orbit applications has been hampered by limited computing capabilities, and therefore limited performance. While embedded systems utilizing ARM processors have been shown to meet acceptable but low performance standards, the recent availability of larger space-grade field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) show potential to exceed the performance of microcomputer systems. This work proposes use of neural network-based object detection algorithm that can be deployed on a comparably resource-constrained FPGA to automatically detect components of non-cooperative, satellites on orbit. Hardware-in-the-loop experiments were performed on the ORION Maneuver Kinematics Simulator at Florida Tech to compare the performance of the new model deployed on a small, resource-constrained FPGA to an equivalent algorithm on a microcomputer system. Results show the FPGA implementation increases the throughput and decreases latency while maintaining comparable accuracy. These findings suggest future missions should consider deploying computer vision algorithms on space-grade FPGAs.