Adaptive control for spacecraft relative translation with parametric uncertainty

This paper investigates the adaptive control problem for spacecraft relative translation. The critical issues surrounding relative translation are firstly discussed, and then the relative motion model implemented in this paper is introduced. An adaptive controller that allows performing relative translation in the presence of uncertain orbital parameters is developed. The escape acceleration of the target is further considered, and a modified adaptive controller is then proposed in the presence of uncertain orbital parameters and escape trajectory. By constructing a particular Lyapunov function, the stability of the proposed controllers for the closed-loop systems is proven theoretically. Numerical simulations are finally provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed controllers. (C) 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.