Multi-Rate Tracking Control for a Space Robot on a Controlled Satellite: A Passivity-Based Strategy

In this letter we design a novel control strategy for a space manipulator operating on a controlled base. The proposed controllers resolve the tracking of the end-effector and the regulation of the base. In particular, we focus on the effects due to the different sampling rates of the manipulator and the base controllers which can generate stability issues. These effects are analysed from an energetic perspective and passivity-based controllers are designed for the base and the manipulator to avoid instability. The method is validated with simulations and experiments on a robotic facility, the OOS-Sim.