Research ArticleDual-quaternion based fault-tolerant control for spacecraft formation flying with finite-time convergence

- A novel fault tolerant 6-DOF controller is investigated for spacecraft formation.
- Finite-time stability feature of the closed-loop system is guaranteed.
- Simulation results validate the effectiveness and feasibility.

Study results of developing control system for spacecraft formation proximity operations between a target and a chaser are presented. In particular, a coupled model using dual quaternion is employed to describe the proximity problem of spacecraft formation, and a nonlinear adaptive fault-tolerant feedback control law is developed to enable the chaser spacecraft to track the position and attitude of the target even though its actuator occurs fault. Multiple-task capability of the proposed control system is further demonstrated in the presence of disturbances and parametric uncertainties as well. In addition, the practical finite-time stability feature of the closed-loop system is guaranteed theoretically under the designed control law. Numerical simulation of the proposed method is presented to demonstrate the advantages with respect to interference suppression, fast tracking, fault tolerant and practical finite-time stability.