Space-based line-of-sight tracking control of GEO target using nonsingular terminal sliding mode

This paper addresses the issue of high-precision line-of-sight (LOS) tracking of geosynchronous earth orbit target in highly dynamic conditions via spacecraft attitude maneuver. First, characteristics of the LOS motion are analyzed by a simplified linear relative motion model. Second, after transforming the quaternion-based attitude model into a double integrator system, a new nonsingular terminal sliding mode controller is proposed for spacecraft attitude tracking in a nominal case without parametric uncertainties and external disturbances. Third, an adaptive new nonsingular terminal mode controller is proposed for spacecraft attitude tracking in an uncertain case, which is done via constructing a pair of adaptive laws to estimate the parametric uncertainties and external disturbances online. The robust stability and finite time convergence property of the closed-loop system are demonstrated by Lyapunov theorem. Under control of the proposed controller, zero steady state error tracking of LOS with a smooth transition phase can be achieved in scheduled time, regardless of parametric uncertainties and external disturbances online. Finally, detailed numerical simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness and performance of the proposed controllers. Contrasting simulation results shows that proposed controllers can track the desired trajectories effectively and have better performance against the controllers based on linear sliding mode and the existing fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode.