Space robotics applications, such as Active Space Debris Removal (ASDR),
require representative testing before launch. A commonly used approach to
emulate the microgravity environment in space is air-bearing based platforms on
flat-floors, such as the European Space Agency's Orbital Robotics and GNC Lab
(ORGL). This work proposes a control architecture for a floating platform at
the ORGL, equipped with eight solenoid-valve-based thrusters and one reaction
wheel. The control architecture consists of two main components: a trajectory
planner that finds optimal trajectories connecting two states and a trajectory
follower that follows any physically feasible trajectory. The controller is
first evaluated within an introduced simulation, achieving a 100 % success rate
at finding and following trajectories to the origin within a Monte-Carlo test.
Individual trajectories are also successfully followed by the physical system.
In this work, we showcase the ability of the controller to reject disturbances
and follow a straight-line trajectory within tens of centimeters.Comment: Accepted to IROS2022, code at
https://gitlab.com/anton.bredenbeck/ff-trajectorie