2023/03/16 by Fragiskos Fourlas, Vignesh Kottayam Viswanathan, Fourlas, Fragiskos +5
Engineering · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Electrical engineering #Robotics (cs.RO) #Space Satellite Systems and Control #Spacecraft Design and Technology #Spacecraft Dynamics and Control #Systems and Control (eess.SY) #electronic engineering #information engineering
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2303.09619
openalex publication_date 2023/03/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
With the ever growing number of space debris in orbit, the need to prevent further space population is becoming more and more apparent. Refueling, servicing, inspection and deorbiting of spacecraft are some example missions that require precise navigation and docking in space. Having multiple, collaborating robots handling these tasks can greatly increase the efficiency of the mission in terms of time and cost. This article will introduce a modern and efficient control architecture for satellites on collaborative docking missions. The proposed architecture uses a centralized scheme that combines state-of-the-art, ad-hoc implementations of algorithms and techniques to maximize robustness and flexibility. It is based on a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for which efficient cost function and constraint sets are designed to ensure a safe and accurate docking. A simulation environment is also presented to validate and test the proposed control scheme.