LPV methods for spacecraft control: an overview and two case studies

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the field of spacecraft control for the application of LPV methods to various systems (e.g., launchers, re-entry vehicles, satellites). The paper will first provide an overview of the state-of-the-art of the application of LPV techniques in this field. Then, the application of LPV modelling and controller design methods to the spacecraft attitude control problem will be specifically considered and two case studies will be illustrated. More precisely, first the problem of satellite attitude control using magnetic actuation will be introduced and an LPV formulation will be given; subsequently, the problem of attitude control using control moment gyros (CMGs) as primary actuators will be discussed and the LPV approach to the problem of developing steering laws for the CMGs will be described.