Lyapunov-Based Thrusters’ Selection for Spacecraft Control: Analysis and Experimentation
Authors
Curti, Fabio
Romano, Marcello
Bevilacqua, Riccardo
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2010
Date
July–August 2010
Publisher
Language
Abstract
This paper introduces a method for spacecraft rotation and translation control by on–off thrusters with
guaranteed Lyapunov-stable tracking of linear dynamic models. In particular, the proposed control method switches
on, at each time step, only those thrusters needed to maintain stability. Furthermore, the strategy allocates the
configuration so that the minimum number of actuators is used. One of the benefits of the proposed method is that it
substitutes both the thruster mapping and the pulse modulation algorithms typically used for real-time allocation of
the firing thrusters and for determining the duration of the firing. The proposed approach reduces the computational
burden of the onboard computer versus the use of classical thruster mapping algorithms, which typically involve
iterative matrix operations. The paper presents analytical demonstrations, numerical simulations on a six-degree-offreedom
spacecraft, and experimental tests on a hardware-in-the-loop three-degree-of-freedom spacecraft simulator
floating over air pads on a flat floor. The method proves to be effective and easy to implement in real time.
Type
Article
Description
The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.2514/1.47296
Series/Report No
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Organization
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NPS Report Number
Sponsors
This research was performed while R. Bevilacqua was holding a National Research Council Research Associateship Award at the Spacecraft Robotics Laboratory of the Naval Postgraduate School.
Funder
Format
Citation
Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 33, No. 4, July - August 2010
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.