The attitude synchronization tracking problem for spacecraft formation flying is investigated in this paper based on sliding-mode control and a Chebyshev neural network (ChNN). A distributed cooperative controller designed group of spacecrafts to guarantee that each individual will track the reference virtual leader presence external disturbances, system uncertainties input saturation. An adapt...

The Autonomous Sciencecraft Software (ASE) is currently flying onboard the Earth Observing One (EO-1) Spacecraft. This software enables the spacecraft to autonomously detect and respond to science events occurring on the Earth. The package includes software systems that perform science data analysis, deliberative planning, and runtime robust execution. Because of the deployment to the EO-1 spac...

This paper extends a recently-developed path planning method to account for plume impingement, which is a key concern for on-orbit rendezvous and formation flying spacecraft. The approach designs fueloptimal trajectories for multiple vehicles using a combination of linear and integer programming. The vehicles are required to move from an initial dynamic state to a final state without colliding ...

This paper investigates a quaternion-based finite time attitude synchronization and stabilization problem for satellite formation flying. Sufficient conditions are presented for finite time boundness and stability of this distributed consensus problem. More specifically, a nonlinear control law based on a finite time control technique is developed such that the attitude of the rigid spacecraft ...

TanDEM-X opens a new era in space borne radar remote sensing. The first bistatic SAR mission, is formed by adding a second, almost identical spacecraft, to TerraSAR-X and flying the two satellites in a closely controlled formation with typical distances between 250 and 500 m. Primary mission objective is the generation of a consistent global digital elevation model with an unprecedented accurac...

Formation flying of spacecraft and autonomous rendezvous and docking of spacecraft are two missions in which satellites operate in close proximity and their relative trajectories are critically important. Both classes of missions rely on accurate dynamics models for fuel minimization and observance of strict constraints for preventing collisions and achieving mission objectives. This thesis pre...

Formation flying is an enabling technique for numerous proposed satellite missions. The TeamAgent software system, based on ObjectAgent technology, is designed to enable multiple satellites to cooperate autonomously with particular focus on formation flying. A generalized agent-based software architecture for formation flying has been devised and is being applied to the Air Force Research Labor...

We introduce a decentralized attitude control strategy that can dramatically reduce the usage of propellant, by taking full advantage of the physical coupling of the tether. Motivated by a controllability analysis, indicating that both array resizing and spin-up are fully controllable by the reaction wheels and the tethermotor, we report the first propellant-free underactuated control results f...

TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) opens a new era in spaceborne radar remote sensing [1]-[3], [9], [12]. Realized in the framework of a public-private partnership between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and EADS Astrium GmbH, a single-pass SAR interferometer with adjustable baselines in acrossand in along-track directions was formed by adding a second (TDX), almos...

TanDEM-X opens a new era in space borne radar remote sensing. The first bistatic SAR mission, is formed by adding a second, almost identical spacecraft, to TerraSARX and flying the two satellites in a closely controlled formation with typical distances between 250 and 500 m. Primary mission objective is the generation of a consistent global digital elevation model with an unprecedented accuracy...