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This paper aims to investigate the attitude control pointing improvement for a small satellite with control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) using the active force control (AFC) method.

The AFC method is developed with its governing equations and integrated into the conventional proportional-derivative (PD) controller of a closed-loop satellite attitude control system. Two numerical simulations of an identical attitude control mission namely the PD controller and the PD+AFC controller were carried out using the MATLAB^®-SimulinkTM software and their attitude control performances were demonstrated accordingly.

Having the PD+AFC controller, the attitude maneuver can be completed within the desired slew rate, which is about 2.14 degree/s and the attitude pointing accuracies for the roll, pitch and yaw angles have improved significantly by more than 85% in comparison with the PD controller alone. Moreover, the implementation of the AFC into the conventional PD controller does not cause significant difference on the physical structure of the four single gimbal CMGs (4-SGCMGs).

To achieve a precise attitude pointing mission, the AFC method can be applied directly to the existing conventional PD attitude control system of a CMG-based satellite. In this case, the AFC is indeed the backbone for the satellite attitude performance improvement.

The present study demonstrates that the attitude pointing of a small satellite with CMGs is improved through the implementation of the AFC scheme into the PD controller.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical design for the attitude control of electromagnetic formation flying (EMFF) satellites, present a nonlinear controller for the relative translational control of EMFF satellites and propose a novel method for the allocation of electromagnetic dipoles.

The feedback attitude control law, magnetic unloading algorithm and large angle manoeuvre algorithm are presented. Then, a terminal sliding mode controller for the relative translation control is put forward and the convergence is proved. Finally, the control allocation problem of electromagnetic dipoles is formulated as an optimization issue, and a hybrid particle swarm optimization (PSO) – sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm to optimize the free dipoles. Three numerical simulations are carried out and results are compared.

The proposed attitude controller is effective for the sun-tracking process of EMFF satellites, and the magnetic unloading algorithm is valid. The formation-keeping scenario simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the terminal sliding model controller and electromagnetic dipole calculation method.

The proposed method can be applied to solve the attitude and relative translation control problem of EMFF satellites in low earth orbits.

The paper analyses the attitude control problem of EMFF satellites systematically and proposes an innovative way for relative translational control and electromagnetic dipole allocation.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the efficiency of on-orbit operations through the top-level task design based on DoDAF. Based on the existing upper stage rocket technology, orbit transfer vehicles (OTVs) have developed rapidly in recent years. However, the lack of decision guidance based on overall task analysis requires integrating top-level analysis and bottom-level execution to achieve the smooth development of full-process tasks.

Using the Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) as a reference, this paper performs the top-level mission analysis modeling of the on-orbit rendezvous and capture of the OTV. Moreover, the typical operational view products are obtained, and the cooperative relations among the mission requirements, the system requirements, and the functional requirements are also analyzed.

The results show that the attitude of the OTV changes violently during the maneuver and rendezvous phases. In addition, the view products can be optimized based on the results.

The proposed DoDAF-based on-orbit task integration analysis method achieves the effective fusion of high-level analysis and bottom-level execution of OTV on-orbit rendezvous and capture task through the top-level task modeling, operation view generation and task relationship analysis. According to the requirements and constraints of the on-orbit rendezvous and capture task, the control instructions of the vehicle are efficiently generated under the DoDAF framework.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel nonlinear H_∞ control approach for the nonlinear multivariable attitude tracking of rigid spacecraft.

Based on the transformation of the attitude tracking problem into quaternion error stabilization, the feedback control law is developed by using the normal matrix control theory with the inverse‐additive perturbation description of systems uncertainties, and the Hamilton‐Jacobi‐Isaacs (HJI) partial differential inequality is employed for providing the nonlinear H_∞ control criteria for the proposed control law. The onboard recursive least squares (RLS) estimation algorithm of inertia tensor is used for the further improving of the normal matrix property of the control system. The RLS algorithm is simple enough for the spacecraft borne computer. Computer simulation is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the control law proposed.

By the normal matrix control theory, the nonlinear H_∞ control law for attitude tracking is developed without solving the HJI inequality and with the inflight estimation of inertia, the proposed control law is adaptive and robust to the variation of mass properties, and its normality is further improved.

The paper is limited in rigid spacecraft with slowly changing mass property. The flexible influences are not considered.

The paper provides an alternative to the spacecraft researchers/engineers for developing the robust attitude control law with a simple structure and self‐tuning ability.

The paper is the first to provide a robust control based on the normal matrix approach, the HJI inequality, and the estimation of inertia.

The purpose of this paper is to achieve fault reconstruction for reaction wheels in spacecraft attitude control systems (ACSs) subject to space disturbance torques.

Considering the influence of rotating reaction wheels on spacecraft attitude dynamics, a novel non-linear learning observer is suggested to robustly reconstruct the loss of reaction wheel effectiveness faults, and its stability is proven using Lyapunov’s indirect method. Further, an extension of the proposed approach to bias faults reconstruction for reaction wheels in spacecraft ACSs is performed.

The numerical example and simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed fault-reconstructing methods.

This paper includes implications for the development of reliability and survivability of on-orbit spacecrafts.

This paper proposes a novel non-linear learning observer-based reaction wheels fault reconstruction for spacecraft ACSs.

This paper aims to investigate the problem of finite-time consensus tracking control without unwinding for formation flying spacecraft in the presence of external disturbances.

Two distributed finite-time controllers are developed using the backstepping sliding mode. The first robust controller can compensate for external disturbances with known bounds, and the second one can compensate for external disturbances with unknown bounds.

Because the controllers are designed on the basis of rotation matrix, which represents the set of attitudes both globally and uniquely, the system can overcome the drawback of unwinding, which results in extra fuel consumption. Through introducing a novel virtual angular velocity, exchange of control signals between neighboring spacecraft becomes unnecessary, and it is able to reduce the communication burden.

The two robust controllers can deal with unwinding that may result in fuel consumption by traveling a long distance before returning to a desired attitude when the closed-loop system is close to the desired attitude equilibrium.

Two finite-time controllers without unwinding are proposed for formation flying spacecraft by using backstepping sliding mode. Furthermore, exchange of control signals between neighboring spacecraft is unnecessary.

The paper aims to address the combined attitude control and Sun tracking problem in a flexible spacecraft in the presence of external and internal disturbances. The attitude stabilization of a flexible satellite is generally a challenging control problem, because of the facts that satellite kinematic and dynamic equations are inherently nonlinear, the rigid–flexible coupling dynamical effect, as well as the uncertainty that arises from the effect of actuator anomalies.

To deal with these issues in the combined attitude and Sun tracking system, a novel control scheme is proposed based on the adaptive fuzzy Jacobian approach. The augmented spacecraft model is then analyzed and the Lyapunov-based backstepping method is applied to develop a nonlinear three-axis attitude pointing control law and the adaptation law.

Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive control scheme in simultaneously tracking the desired attitude and the Sun.

Reaction wheels are commonly used in many spacecraft systems for the three-axis attitude control by delivering precise torques. If a reaction wheel suffers from an irreversible mechanical breakdown, then it is likely going to interrupt the mission, or even leading to a catastrophic loss. The pitch-axis mounted solar array drive assemblies (SADAs) can be exploited to anticipate such situation to generate a differential torque. As the solar panels are rotated by the SADAs to be orientated relative to the Sun, the pitch-axis wheel control torque demand can be compensated by the differential torque.

The proposed Jacobian control scheme is inspired by the knowledge of Jacobian matrix in the trajectory tracking of robotic manipulators.

The purpose of this paper is to present an on-orbit frequency identification method for spacecraft directly using attitude maneuver data. Natural frequency of flexible solar arrays plays an important role in attitude control design of spacecraft with solar arrays, and its precision will directly affect the accuracy of attitude maneuver. However, when the flexibility of the solar arrays is large, because of air damping, gravity effect etc., the frequency obtained by ground test shows great error compared with the on-orbit real value. One solution to this problem is to conduct on-orbit identification during which proper identification methods are used to obtain the parameters of interest based on the real on-orbit data of spacecraft.

The observer/Kalman filter identification and eigensystem realization algorithm are used as identification methods, and the attitude maneuver controller is designed using the rigid-body dynamics method.

Two conclusions are drawn in this paper according to results of numerical simulations. The first one is that the attitude controller based on the rigid-body dynamics method is effective in attitude maneuver of the spacecraft. The second one is that the on-orbit parameter identification can be directly achieved by using attitude maneuver data of spacecraft without adding additional missions.

Based on the methods proposed in this paper, it is convenient to obtain the natural frequencies of the spacecraft using the data of the attitude maneuver, which may greatly reduce the cost of on-orbit identification test.

The way of obtaining natural frequencies based on attitude maneuver data of spacecraft provides high originality and value for practical application.

The purpose of this paper is to propose an attitude control algorithm for spacecraft with geometric constraints.

The geometric constraint is reformulated as a quadratic form when quaternion is used as attitude parameter, then the constraint is proved to be nonconvex and is further transformed to a convex one. By designing a new constraint formulation to satisfy the real constraint in the predictive horizon, the attitude control problem is reshaped to a convex planning problem which is based on receding horizon control.

The proposed algorithm is more effective in handling geometric constraints than previous research which used single step planning control.

With novel improvements to current methods for steering spacecraft from one attitude to another with geometric constraints, great attitude maneuver path can be achieved to protect instruments and meanwhile satisfy mission requirements.

The attitude control algorithm in this paper is designed especially for the satisfaction of geometric constraints in the process of attitude maneuver of spacecraft. By the application of this algorithm, the security of certain optical instruments, which is critical in an autonomous system, can be further assured.

The purpose of this paper is to present the idea of automatic flight control algorithms capable of performing an Immelmann turn manoeuvre automatically. This is a case of a manoeuvre far removed from so-called standard flight. The character of this manoeuvre and the range of changes in the aircraft flight parameters restrict the application of standard control algorithms. Furthermore, the possibility of acquiring full and detailed information about the aircraft’s flight parameters is limited in such cases. This paper seeks to analyse an alternative solution that can be applied in some specific cases.

This paper uses theoretical discussion and breakdowns to create the basics for development of structures of control algorithms. A simplified analytical approach was applied to tune regulators and the results of the research were verified in a series of software-in-the loop computer simulations.

The structure of the control system enabling aerobatic flight (with the Immelmann turn as the selected example) was identified and the method for tuning the regulators is also presented.

It could serve as a foundation for autopilots working in non-conventional flight states and aircraft automatic recovery systems.

This paper presents the author’s original approach to aircraft automatic control when high control precision is not the priority and not all flight parameters can be precisely measured.