Allocation Optimization Strategy for High-Precision Control of Picosatellites and Nanosatellites

Abstract

The high-precision control of picosatellites and nanosatellites has always plagued the astronautics field. Aiming to change the status quo of the actuators not being able to meet the high-precision attitude control of picosatellites and nanosatellites, this article formulates a control allocation strategy for picosatellites and nanosatellites using the solid propellant microthruster array (SPMA). To solve the problem of the diversity and complexity of ignition combinations brought about by the high integration of the SPMA, the energy consumption factor of the optimal allocation is established, and the relationships of the array’s energy consumption factor, the control accuracy, the number, and the ignition combinations of the thruster array are deduced. The optimization objective is introduced by Sherman-Morrison formula and singular value decomposition. Thus, the energy consumption problem is transformed into an integer programming problem, acquiring the control allocation strategy and the optimal thruster energy. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the thrust energy consumption and improve the precision control, demonstrating the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed algorithm for picosatellites and nanosatellites.