Model-based coordination control of networked spacecraft formations by integrator backstepping

In this paper, based on the leader-follower formation architecture, we propose a tracking control scheme for spacecraft formation flying in the framework of networked control systems (NCSs) with time-varying network access intervals. A continuous-time representation of the NCS is considered to model the relative translational motion of the follower spacecraft relative to the leader spacecraft. A model-based controller combined with backstepping technique is developed to guarantee uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) of the relative position and velocity tracking errors in the semiglobal sense. The adjustable parameter with respect to which semiglobal UUB is achieved is the network access deadline between transmission times. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed controller.