Nonlinear Optimal Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking Using Symplectic Numerical Method

This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon. Open AccessArticle by Zhengtao Wei, Jie Yang, Hao Wen Hao Wen Prof. Dr. Hao Wen received a B.S. in aircraft design and a Ph.D. in dynamics and control from the of Prof. Dr. Hao Wen received a B.S. in aircraft design and a Ph.D. in dynamics and control from the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2002 and 2009, respectively. He is currently a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He serves as an Associate Editor for Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering. He is also a member of the National Committee on Nonlinear Vibration and vice chairman of the Digital Twin and Enabling Technical Committee of the MBSE Consortium for Complex Equipment. His research interests include space structures, space robots, and digital threads. , Dongping Jin Dongping Jin Prof. Dr. Dongping Jin received a B.S. in Mechanics, an M.S. in General Mechanics, and a Ph.D. in in Prof. Dr. Dongping Jin received a B.S. in Mechanics, an M.S. in General Mechanics, and a Ph.D. in General Mechanics from Tianjin University in 1986, 1989, and 1995 respectively. Currently, he is a professor at the State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He was a 12-month Royal Society BP Amoco Research Fellow at the University College London in 2000. He is a director of the Chinese Society of Vibration Engineering and vice president of the Jiangsu Society of Vibration Engineering. He is an associate editor of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, and a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Aeronautics, Journal of Vibration Engineering, Space: Science & Technology. His current research interests include dynamics and control of tethered satellite systems, modeling, and analysis of large-space structures. and Ti Chen * State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aernautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Actuators 2025, 14(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/act14020075 (registering DOI) Submission received: 31 December 2024 / Revised: 25 January 2025 / Accepted: 5 February 2025 / Published: 6 February 2025 Abstract This paper addresses the autonomous rendezvous and docking between a chaser spacecraft and a target spacecraft. An optimal control method is employed to plan the rendezvous and docking maneuver, considering various constraints, including force, velocity, field of view, and collision avoidance with a diamond-shaped obstacle. The optimal trajectories are derived using a symplectic algorithm, which ensures high accuracy and enhances computational efficiency. These trajectories serve as the reference for the maneuver. A PD-based tracking control method is proposed to enable real-time feedback control. An air-bearing experimental system, encompassing state measurement, data transmission, and processing, is established to conduct ground-based tracking experiments. Furthermore, specialized simulators for the chaser and target spacecraft, equipped with a docking mechanism, are designed. Experimental results validate both the feasibility of the reference trajectories and the effectiveness of the PD tracking control approach. Share and Cite MDPI and ACS Style Wei, Z.; Yang, J.; Wen, H.; Jin, D.; Chen, T. Nonlinear Optimal Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking Using Symplectic Numerical Method. Actuators 2025, 14, 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/act14020075 AMA Style Wei Z, Yang J, Wen H, Jin D, Chen T. Nonlinear Optimal Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking Using Symplectic Numerical Method. Actuators. 2025; 14(2):75. https://doi.org/10.3390/act14020075 Chicago/Turabian Style Wei, Zhengtao, Jie Yang, Hao Wen, Dongping Jin, and Ti Chen. 2025. "Nonlinear Optimal Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking Using Symplectic Numerical Method" Actuators 14, no. 2: 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/act14020075 APA Style Wei, Z., Yang, J., Wen, H., Jin, D., & Chen, T. (2025). Nonlinear Optimal Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking Using Symplectic Numerical Method. Actuators, 14(2), 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/act14020075 Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here. Article Metrics Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online. Source link Wei www.mdpi.com

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