Observer-Based Fixed-Time Attitude Tracking Control of Rigid Spacecraft With Output Constraints

This paper investigates the fixed-time attitude tracking control problem for rigid spacecraft subject to external disturbance and output constraints. First, the state transformed function (STF) technique is employed to convert the constrained spacecraft error dynamics into an unconstrained one. Subsequently, a fixed-time disturbance observer (FXTDO) is designed to estimate and reconstruct the lumped disturbance of unconstrained system. Combined with the developed STF, FXTDO and fixed-time integral terminal sliding mode (FITSM) surface techniques, the proposed fixed-time control law provides zero-error attitude tracking with high control precision and chattering avoidance, while the output constraints are never transgressed. The fixed-time stability of the closed-loop system is conducted via the Lyapunov technique and bi-limit homogeneity theory, and the expression of convergence time is also presented. Simulations illustrate the efficiency of the investigated controller. Note to Practitioners—There are ineluctable external disturbances and state constraints in spacecraft attitude systems, which degrades system performance and operation safety. Besides, for the practical engineering, the spacecraft is anticipated to achieve accurate attitude pointing and re-orientation maneuvers in a specified time interval, thus it is vital for spacecraft to improve convergence rate and tracking accuracy. Until now, these problems have not been uniformly addressed in the existing reports. To handle these issues, the paper concerns on developing an observer-based fixed-time control scheme to achieve accurate disturbance estimation and zero-error attitude tracking, while satisfying the constraints requirements. Such features make this controller extremely suitable for practical attitude tracking applications. Future research will devote to spacecraft cooperative control under state constraints and limited communication.