Application of the H∞ control theory to space missions in engineering education

Abstract

This paper is a training paper for aerospace engineering education⁎. Its aim is to give the necessary backgrounds for the application of the mixed-sensitivity approach of the robust H∞ control theory, to space missions. As a support example, the auto-landing phase of a re-entry mission is considered. The considered re-entry vehicle is the HL-20. The paper covers all the aspects of the engineer exercise, i.e. from establishing the non-linear model of the vehicle, considering especially the aerodynamic coefficients, until the implementation of the robust H∞ controller in the simulator, with a graphical interfacing with the FlightGear flight simulator.