Nonlinear MPC with PWM applied on a small satellite

Abstract

This paper employs Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) method to a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) for satellite attitude control and detumbling. Magnetic torquers have been used as actuators for the stabilization and attitude control of small satellites. NMPC generates the control input which is continuous and smooth. As a result, it is challenging for the on-board actuators to produce these continuous magnetic moments as a control input. Thus, PWM is applied to discretize the control input reducing the load on the actuators. Simulations are presented for detumbling and attitude control to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.