Nonlinear control of a space robot for fast tracking pose trajectories

Future space missions are calling for ultra-large space structures assembled on orbit by space robots. It is challenging to control flying space robots in such an assembly due to the nonlinear dynamic coupling between robots and their floating base. This lecture presents how to use Lie group structure of a robot configuration and to formulate the system momentum evolution equations. Then, it gives the design of manifold model predictive controller to solve a three-dimensional pose trajectory tracking problem. Furthermore, it presents the performance of the above controller in numerical simulations, emphasizing the momentum shaping and prediction horizon selection. Finally, the lecture demonstrates the trajectory tracking and object capturing experiments in a three-dimensional space via an air-bearing space robot simulator.