Cooperative attitude tracking control for multiple spacecraft using vector measurements

Abstract

We investigate the cooperative attitude tracking control problem of multiple spacecraft in this paper, and propose novel control schemes using vector measurements. The nonlinear dynamics describing the attitude tracking control of formation are considered, and rotation matrix is adopted to avoid singularity and non-uniqueness. The cooperative attitude tracking controllers are proposed by using time-varying sliding mode control method and vector measurement results. The information of vector measurements can be obtained by using star trackers or Earth-horizon sensors. Especially, the proposed control algorithm is proven to be robust to external disturbance torque, measurement uncertainty, and time delays in communication links. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control schemes for cooperative attitude tracking.