Smooth Reference Model Adaptive Sliding-Mode Control for Attitude Synchronization with a Tumbling Satellite

Attitude synchronization is a key technology in the capture of tumbling satellites, and accurate estimation of the inertia ratio of tumbling satellites is an important function to synchronize the attitude of the chaser satellite with that of the tumbling satellite. This paper proposes a new control scheme, smooth reference model adaptive sliding mode control, or SRMASMC, for attitude tracking maneuvers. An adaptive law is introduced to accurately estimate the inertia ratio of the tumbling satellite, and a smooth reference model is employed to reduce the control torque at the beginning of the tracking maneuver. The attitude tracking performance of SRMASMC is evaluated numerically and compared with that of eigenaxis rotational maneuver control and sliding mode control. The results reveal that SRMASMC offers superior performance to these methods under the conditions examined.