Lightweight Model Predictive Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous Attitude Synchronization

TL;DR

This paper presents two lightweight MPC methods for spacecraft attitude synchronization that improve tracking accuracy and computational efficiency, suitable for resource-limited onboard systems during rendezvous missions.

Contribution

Introduces novel linear constraint formulation and two lightweight MPC approaches, validated in simulation and on embedded hardware for spacecraft rendezvous attitude control.

Findings

Enhanced tracking accuracy achieved

Reduced computational effort and memory use

Validated real-time implementation on ARM Cortex-M7

Abstract

This work introduces two lightweight model predictive control (MPC) approaches for attitude tracking with reaction wheels during spacecraft rendezvous synchronization. Both approaches are based on a novel attitude deviation formulation, which enables the use of inherently linear constraints on angular velocity. We develop a single-loop and a dual-loop MPC; the latter embeds a stabilizing feedback controller within the inner loop, yielding a linear time-invariant system. Both controllers are implemented with CasADi - including automatic code generation - evaluated across various solvers, and validated within the Basilisk astrodynamics simulation framework. The experimental results demonstrate improved tracking accuracy alongside reductions in computational effort and memory consumption. Finally, embedded delivery to an ARM Cortex-M7 - representative of commercial off-the-shelf devices used in New Space platforms - confirms the real-time feasibility of these approaches and highlights their suitability for onboard attitude control in resource-constrained spacecraft rendezvous missions.