Nonlinear control of tethered satellite system oscillations Original Research Article

The control of in-plane transversal vibrations of a tethered satellite system by means of a longitudinal force exerted by subsatellite thrusts is analyzed, A one-mode model is derived for describing the in-plane dynamics of such a system. On the basis of this model, two different nonlinear (and simple to be implemented) control laws are proposed for the stabilization of the tethered satellite system. The Liapunov stability theory is used to show the global asymptotic stability of the station-keeping phase of the tethered satellite system, subjected to either control laws. The effectiveness of the proposed control laws is shown by means of both analytical arguments and simulation runs.