Fixed-time safety-critical attitude control for flexible spacecraft with actuator faults

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fixed-time safety-critical attitude control for flexible spacecraft with actuator faults

AU - Gao, Han

AU - Liu, Xuelin

AU - Bi, Yuhan

AU - Yang, Chen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 IAA

PY - 2026/1

Y1 - 2026/1

N2 - This paper investigates the problem of rest-to-rest attitude reorientation for the uncertain flexible spacecraft, specifically when subjected to forbidden pointing constraints. Firstly, an adaptive fixed-time observer is developed to estimate the lumped uncertainty, encompassing flexible vibrations, actuator faults, and external disturbances. Secondly, based on the estimation generated by the observer, a robust fixed-time control Lyapunov function (FxT-CLF) and high-order control barrier function (HoCBF)-based safety-critical controller is proposed. The controller is then implemented with the quadratic program (QP). Compared to the existing results, the proposed control scheme not only simultaneously ensures forbidden pointing constraints and flexible vibration compensation objectives, but also guarantees the fixed-time stability of the attitude control system. As a result, the safety-critical control aim of flexible spacecraft can be achieved. Finally, numerical simulations are given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed fixed-time safety-critical controller.

AB - This paper investigates the problem of rest-to-rest attitude reorientation for the uncertain flexible spacecraft, specifically when subjected to forbidden pointing constraints. Firstly, an adaptive fixed-time observer is developed to estimate the lumped uncertainty, encompassing flexible vibrations, actuator faults, and external disturbances. Secondly, based on the estimation generated by the observer, a robust fixed-time control Lyapunov function (FxT-CLF) and high-order control barrier function (HoCBF)-based safety-critical controller is proposed. The controller is then implemented with the quadratic program (QP). Compared to the existing results, the proposed control scheme not only simultaneously ensures forbidden pointing constraints and flexible vibration compensation objectives, but also guarantees the fixed-time stability of the attitude control system. As a result, the safety-critical control aim of flexible spacecraft can be achieved. Finally, numerical simulations are given to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed fixed-time safety-critical controller.

KW - Actuator faults

KW - Fixed-time

KW - Flexible spacecraft

KW - Safety-critical attitude control

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105018583876

U2 - 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.09.097

DO - 10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.09.097

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105018583876

SN - 0094-5765

VL - 238

SP - 115

EP - 126

JO - Acta Astronautica

JF - Acta Astronautica

ER -