This thesis presents the design of the control system for a robotic arm, the Schunk Lightweight Arm 3. This manipulator is used as part of the on-ground simulation of on-orbit satellite servicing performed at the Rendezvous & Docking facility of Thales Alenia Space in Turin. This area was built in the framework of the STEPS (Sistemi e Tecnologie per l'EsPlorazione Spaziale) program; here, the docking maneuver is simulated on a micrometric black granite floor where two vehicles (the chaser and the target) move floating over a thin air film in order to obtain a frictionless dynamic and have a testing environment able to simulate orbiting conditions.