A robust control law for satellite stabilization

This paper presents a passivity-based control strategy for satellite stabilization using internal control torques which preserves the total momentum of the system. The control law does not require a-priori knowledge of the satellite inertia information and is robust to un-modeled dynamics. The satellite system we consider uses n reaction wheels for reorientation maneuvers. The dynamical equations of motion of the satellite system are derived using the concept of articulated-body inertias. Special properties of these equations are employed in developing the passivity based control law. The stability properties are analyzed using Lyapunov theory. The performance and robustness of the control law to actuator saturation are verified via computer simulations and visualizations.