Adaptive Robust Attitude Control and Vibration Suppression of a Flexible Satellite in Imaging Maneuver

Deployable solar arrays serve as the primary power source for many remote-sensing satellites. These arrays, characterized by their long, wide, and thin structure, exhibit significant flexibility, posing challenges to satellite attitude control. Remote sensing missions require rapid maneuvers to capture images within strict time constraints, yet such maneuvers induce oscillations in the deployable solar arrays, degrading image quality. This study presents an advanced attitude control strategy to mitigate the uncertainties introduced by solar array vibrations. An adaptive robust attitude controller is implemented to address model uncertainties and environmental disturbances. While the adaptive robust control method effectively manages attitude maneuvers with slew rates below 1 deg/s, high-frequency vibration amplitudes increase during rapid attitude adjustments. A dual-control approach is introduced to counteract this effect, integrating an adaptive robust attitude controller with an input shaping technique for vibration suppression. Simulation results confirm that the proposed control strategy enhances pointing accuracy, stability, and vibration attenuation, improving imaging performance in dynamic operational scenarios.