Guidance and Attitude Control of Unstable Rigid Bodies With Single-Use Thrusters

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a novel computationally efficient and practical algorithm for robust guidance and attitude control of unstable rigid bodies using the discrete fixed-magnitude, fixed-duration actuation representative of single-use thrusters. New guidance and attitude continuous control laws are developed based on the nonlinear rigid-body motion model, where the objective is to intercept a target and maintain the near zero angle of attack. A methodology is then introduced to adapt the continuous control system to discrete impulsive forces with constant magnitude and duration. An actuation management scheme is presented based on the equivalence of the total impulse of the continuous control law and thruster force. Realistic time delays and noise distributions are included in a sensor fusion algorithm based on the extended Kalman filter. Simultaneous control for course corrections to ensure the target interception and stabilization of the vehicle attitude is presented through Monte Carlo simulations with various uniformly distributed direction and velocity errors.