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Modeling and control of a space robot for active debris removal

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Abstract

Space access and satellites lifespan are increasingly threatened by the great amount of debris in Low Earth Orbits. Among the many solutions proposed in the literature so far, the emphasis is put here on a robotic arm mounted on a “chaser” satellite to capture massive debris, such as dead satellites or launch vehicle upper stages. The modeling and control of such systems are investigated throughout the paper. Dynamic models rely on an adapted Newton–Euler algorithm, and control algorithms are based on the fixed-structure \(H_{\infty}\) synthesis, recently implemented in an efficient Matlab toolbox. The main goal is to efficiently track a target point on the debris while using PD-like controllers to reduce computational burden. The fixed-structure \(H_{\infty}\) framework proves to be a suitable tool to design a reduced-order robust controller that catches up with external disturbances and is simultaneously compatible with current space processors capabilities.

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Notes

  1. Deutsches zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR).

  2. More insights about the full orbital mechanics of the space robot can be found in [13].

  3. Transfer between the reference signal of the arm and the AOCS commanded torque.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. École Polytechnique de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Vincent Dubanchet & David Saussié

  2. Institut Supérieur de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace, 31055, Toulouse, France

    Daniel Alazard & Caroline Bérard

  3. Thalès Alenia Space, 06156, Cannes La Bocca, France

    Catherine Le Peuvédic

Authors
  1. Vincent Dubanchet
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  2. David Saussié
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  3. Daniel Alazard
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  4. Caroline Bérard
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  5. Catherine Le Peuvédic
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vincent Dubanchet.

Additional information

This paper is based on a presentation at the 9th International ESA Conference on Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems, June 2–6, 2014, Porto, Portugal.

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Dubanchet, V., Saussié, D., Alazard, D. et al. Modeling and control of a space robot for active debris removal. CEAS Space J 7, 203–218 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-015-0082-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-015-0082-4

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