Coordinated Manipulator/Spacecraft Control with Systematic Gain Tuning for Space Robot Operations

This paper presents a modeling and control framework tailored for spacecraft equipped with robotic manipulators, focusing on capture maneuvers and stabilization of uncontrolled target objects. The proposed control strategy combines feedback linearization and a quasi-time-optimal feedback law for the precapture phase and a Lyapunov-based design for postcapture stabilization, with emphasis on addressing actuator saturation. Control gains are tuned using a H infinity synthesis approach, accommodating various dynamics, including sloshing and actuator dynamics effects. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed designs in two representative scenarios: servicing a large geostationary platform and a small satellite within a low-Earth-orbit constellation.