Adaptive sliding mode attitude and vibration control of an elastic spacecraft

An adaptive sliding mode control is investigated for rotational maneuvers of a flexible spacecraft. The model of the spacecraft consists of a rigid central hub and two flexible appendages. Using the sliding mode scheme, asymptotical tracking control of the slew angle and vibration suppression of the system is accomplished. Stability proof of the overall closed-loop system is given via Lyapunov analysis. It is assumed that the parameters of the system are unknown. The upper bounds of the unknown parameters are estimated and have been used in the control law. The proposed control scheme could reduce the computational complexity and times. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed controller.