Path Tracking Controller Design and Simulation for Korean Lunar Lander Demonstrator

Abstract

In Korea, Lunar exploration program has been prepared with the aim of launching in the 2020's. As a part of it, a lunar lander demonstrator was developed, which was the model for verifying the system such as structure, propulsion, and control system, before launching into the deep space. This paper deals with the path tracking performance of the lunar lander demonstrator with respect to the thruster controller based on Pulse Width Pulse Frequency Modulator (PWPFM) and Pulse Width Modulator (PWM). First, we derived equations of motion, considering the allocation of the thrusters, and designed the path tracking controller based on Euler angle. The signal generated from the path tracking controller is continuous, so PWPFM and PWM modulator are adopted for generating ON/OFF signal. Finally, MATLAB simulation is performed for evaluating the path tracking ability. We compared the path tracking performances of PWPFM and PWM based thrust controller, using performance measures such as the total impulse and the position error with respect to the desired path.