Application of Time Optimal Control to the Scole Configuration

The large-angle, nonlinear slew of the Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) is treated with the assumption that the body is rigid. The optimal axis of rotation is first determined and then a time-optimal, bang-bang controller is designed. The controller is implemented in both open-loop and closed-loop form in a numerical simulation using DISCOS. Results are presented which demonstrate controller performance with respect to dynamic coupling compensation, size of the integration time step, and time delay in the response of sensors. This work establishes the theoretical limit of expected performance and provides a foundation upon which a complete, flexible-body control methodology will be developed.