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A class of globally stabilizing feedback controllers for the orbital rendezvous problem
Author(s) -
Leomanni Mirko,
Bianchini Gianni,
Garulli Andrea,
Giannitrapani Antonio
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of robust and nonlinear control
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.361
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-1239
pISSN - 1049-8923
DOI - 10.1002/rnc.3817
Subject(s) - rendezvous , orbital mechanics , control theory (sociology) , thrust , cascade , orbital maneuver , nonlinear system , class (philosophy) , computer science , satellite , orbit (dynamics) , control (management) , control engineering , aerospace engineering , physics , engineering , spacecraft , artificial intelligence , quantum mechanics , chemical engineering
Summary The development of feedback control systems for autonomous orbital rendezvous is a key technological challenge for next‐generation space missions. This paper presents a new class of control laws for the orbital rendezvous problem. The controllers belonging to this class are guaranteed to globally asymptotically stabilize the relative dynamics of two satellites in circular or elliptic orbits. The proposed design procedure builds on control techniques for nonlinear systems in cascade form, by exploiting the geometric properties of the orbital element description of the satellite motion. A numerical simulation of a formation flying mission demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach for long‐range and low‐thrust rendezvous operations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.