Variable-structure control of spacecraft large-angle maneuvers

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The spacecraft large-angle maneuver problem is treated using the principles of variable-structure control theory. A control law that constrains the state to follow a specified path (the so-called sliding mode) in the state-space is designed on the basis of a simplified model of the spacecraft dynamics. The sliding mode is obtained by solving an optimal control problem posed in a reduced space, the solution being the angular velocities of the spacecraft as functions of the attitude variables (Euler parameters or quaternions in the present context). It is shown that the motion along the sliding mode is insensitive to parameter variations and unmodeled effects.