Optimal Capture of a Tumbling Object in Orbit Using a Space Manipulator

Abstract

This paper introduces an optimal capture strategy for a manipulator based on a servicing spacecraft to approach an arbitrarily rotating object, such as a malfunctioning satellite or a piece of orbital debris, for capturing with minimal impact to the robot's base spacecraft. The method consists of two steps. The first step is to determine an optimal future time and the target object's corresponding motion state for the robot to capture the tumbling object, so that, at the time when the gripper of the robot intercepts the target the very first instant, the resulting impact or disturbance to the attitude of the base spacecraft will be minimal. The second step is to control the robot to reach the tumbling object at the predicted optimal time along an optimal trajectory. The optimal control problem is solved with random uncertainties in the initial and final boundary conditions. Uncertainties are introduced because sensor and estimation errors inevitably exist in the first step, i.e., determination process of the initial and final boundary conditions. The application of the method is demonstrated using a dynamics simulation example.