Attitude control and momentum management of space station via weighted-state H∞ method

This study investigates the application of gravity gradient and aerodynamic torques in the attitude control and momentum management (ACMM) of the space station. Due to the large inertia and solar panels, environmental torque is significant enough in the ACMM in order to save fuel costs. Towards this end, the gravity gradient and the solar panels´ aerodynamic models are established. The weighted-state H_∞ controller is designed since the attitude control sub-system is much slower than the momentum management sub-system. Numerical results are shown to demonstrate the practicability of the environmental torque application and the effectiveness of the weighted-state H_∞ technique.