Sliding Mode Control for the Satellite with the Influence of Time Delay

The sliding mode controller is a highly effective nonlinear control design approach that can enhance system performance and robustness. The core concept of this approach is to drive the state variables of the system toward a sliding surface that represents the desired location. This study focuses on designing a sliding mode controller to improve the tracking performance and achieve stability for the desired Euler angles (pitch, yaw, and roll) of a satellite. Nonlinear simulations are conducted to investigate the robustness of the sliding mode control design method under the influence of coupling due to pitch, yaw, and roll rates, as well as time delay through the feedback angles. The convergence of the rate of change of the Lyapunov function to zero is demonstrated to ensure system stability. The simulation results highlight the effectiveness of the sliding mode controller in suppressing the impact of time delay dynamics, in contrast to the classical proportional derivative control design approach, which results in instability. Overall, the study showcases the potential of the sliding mode controller to improve system performance and robustness in nonlinear control systems.