Analytic optimal pose tracking control in close-range proximity operations with a non-cooperative target

This paper investigates an analytical optimal pose tracking control problem for chaser spacecraft during the close-range proximity operations with a non-cooperative space target subject to attitude tumbling and unknown orbital maneuvering. Firstly, the relative translational motion between the orbital target and the chaser spacecraft is described in the Line-of-Sight (LOS) coordinate frame along with attitude quaternion dynamics. Then, based on the coupled 6-Degree of Freedom (DOF) pose dynamic model, an analytical optimal control action consisting of constrained optimal control value, application time and its duration are proposed via exploring the iterative sequential action control algorithm. Meanwhile, the global closed-loop asymptotic stability of the proposed predictive control action is presented and discussed. Compared with traditional proximity control schemes, the highlighting advantages are that the application time and duration of the devised controller is applied discretely in light of the influence of the instantaneous pose configuration on the pose tracking performance with less energy consumptions rather than at each sample time. Finally, three groups of illustrative examples are organized to validate the effectiveness of the proposed analytical optimal pose tracking control scheme.