Spacecraft Rendezvous

In my PhD thesis, I investigate the crucial role of autonomy in space missions, specifically focusing on spacecraft rendezvous, where precise control of relative motion is essential. Reliable guidance and control algorithms are vital for tasks like satellite servicing and orbital corrections, particularly in optimizing propellant usage within operational constraints.

My work introduces innovative algorithms for impulsive guidance and control during the “hovering” phases of rendezvous, featuring a novel mathematical formulation that enhances computational efficiency.

Then, these algorithms are integrated into a predictive control strategy, which is embedded in a space-certified microprocessor and validated through hardware-in-the-loop testing. The results demonstrate that under the proposed control strategy, the relative trajectories converge to the hovering zone, even when using a non-linear model and in the presence of disturbances, confirming the practical applicability of the proposed techniques.