New AI control system enables precise spacecraft formations
Breakthrough control framework promises 30% more accurate satellite swarms with 50% less fuel waste
A team of researchers from Seoul National University and Rio de Janeiro State University has developed a novel control framework for spacecraft formation flying that significantly improves precision and fuel efficiency. Published on arXiv (arXiv:2607.27524), this two-phase system combines analytic energy-optimal transfer with robust adaptive sliding mode control.
The first phase handles orbital transfers from arbitrary initial states to projected circular orbits using Clohessy-Wiltshire dynamics. Rather than relying on computationally expensive numerical sweeps, the team parameterized transfer costs using phase angles, reducing the stationarity condition to a solvable quartic polynomial. The second phase implements an adaptive sliding mode controller (ASMC) and disturbance observer (SMDO) to maintain precise formations while rejecting external disturbances. Simulations showed accurate tracking with effective disturbance compensation and smooth transitions between phases, with the second-order sliding surface tightening error bounds and eliminating finite-difference noise through practical derivative estimation methods.
- Uses second-order sliding mode control with adaptive gain updates for disturbance rejection
- Solves orbital transfer problem via quartic polynomial (8,457KB PDF available on arXiv)
- Demonstrated 30% improvement in tracking accuracy with 50% reduction in fuel consumption in simulations
Why It Matters
Enables cost-effective satellite swarms for Earth observation, deep space missions, and space-based internet constellations