Abstract
We propose a non-linear model predictive scheme for planning fuel efficient maneuvers of small spacecrafts that shall rendezvous space debris. The paper addresses the specific issues of potential limited on-board computational capabilities and low-thrust actuators in the chasing spacecraft, and solves them by using a novel MatLab-based toolbox for real-time non-linear model predictive control (MPC) called MATMPC. This tool computes the MPC rendezvous maneuvering solution in a numerically efficient way, and this allows to greatly extend the prediction horizon length. This implies that the overall MPC scheme can compute solutions that account for the long time-scales that usually characterize the low-thrust rendezvous maneuvers. The so-developed controller is then tested in a realistic scenario that includes all the near-Earth environmental disturbances. We thus show, through numerical simulations, that this MPC method can successfully be used to perform a fuel-efficient rendezvous maneuver with an uncontrolled object, plus evaluate performance indexes such as mission duration, fuel consumption, and robustness against sensor and process noises.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 103-110 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | IFAC-PapersOnLine |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- Constrained optimization problem
- Low-thrust maneuvers
- Non linear model predictive control
- Non-cooperative rendezvous
- Real-time control
- Space debris removal
- Non Linear Model Predictive Control
- Real-time Control
- Non-cooperative Rendezvous
- Constrained Optimization Problem
- Space Debris Removal
- Low-Thrust Maneuvers