Continuous Optimization-Based Drift Counteraction Optimal Control: A Spacecraft Attitude Control Case Study

TL;DR

This paper introduces a continuous optimization method for spacecraft attitude control that maximizes mission duration by effectively counteracting drift, demonstrated through simulations with different reaction wheel configurations.

Contribution

It develops a novel continuous optimization approach for DCOC, providing optimality guarantees and practical effectiveness in spacecraft attitude control scenarios.

Findings

Effective in extending spacecraft mission time

Proven optimality via sensitivity analysis and penalty methods

Works with both full and underactuated reaction wheel setups

Abstract

This paper presents a continuous optimization approach to DCOC and its application to spacecraft high-precision attitude control. The approach computes a control input sequence that maximizes the time-before-exit by solving a nonlinear programming problem with an exponentially weighted cost function and purely continuous variables. Based on results from sensitivity analysis and exact penalty method, we prove the optimality guarantee of our approach. The practical application of our approach is demonstrated through a spacecraft high-precision attitude control example. A nominal case with three functional reaction wheels (RWs) and an underactuated case with only two functional RWs were considered. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of our approach as a contingency method for extending spacecraft's effective mission time in the case of RW failures.