Boundary layer first order sliding mode for attitude control of a CMG-based spacecraft

Regardless of the satellite mission, its attitude control is crucial. Proper orientation in space is fundamental, necessitating the development of an effective control law to achieve the desired attitude. This thesis evaluates and compares classical and adaptive sliding mode control (SMC) algorithms for this purpose. The study focuses on a satellite equipped with four Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) arranged in a pyramidal configuration. The CMGs serve as actuators to adjust the satellite attitude and achieve the desired orientation. Simulations using MATLAB are conducted to compare classical and adaptive Boundary Layer First Order Sliding Mode Control (BLFOSMC), a novel control algorithm that integrates adaptive control techniques with SMC. Subsequently, the MATLAB algorithm is translated into C++ to perform testing on the hardware testbed located in Satoh’s laboratory at Osaka University.