Output feedback tracking control for spacecraft relative translation subject to input constraints and partial loss of control effectiveness

In this paper, an adaptive output feedback tracking control scheme is proposed for spacecraft formation flying (SFF) in the presence of external disturbances, uncertain system parameters, input constraints and partial loss of control effectiveness. The proposed controller incorporates a pseudo-velocity filter to account for the unmeasured relative velocity, and the neural network (NN) technique is implemented to approximate the desired nonlinear function and bounded external disturbances. In order to guarantee that the output of the NN used in the controller is bounded by the corresponding bound of the approximated nonlinear function, a switch function is employed to generate a switching between the adaptive NN control and the robust controller. Moreover, a fault tolerant part is included in the controller to compensate the partial loss of actuator effectiveness fault. It is shown that the derived controller not only guarantees the tracking error in the closed-loop system to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) but also ensures the control input can rigorously enforce actuator magnitude constraints. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.