Authors

Mauro Mancini, Giulia Alessandra Tataru, Satoshi Satoh, Elisa Capello

Abstract

This paper addresses high-precision formation control for spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit, motivated by the requirements of future space interferometry missions such as SILVIA. The proposed approach formulates the relative dynamics within a port-Hamiltonian framework and introduces an Adaptive Boundary-layer Sliding Mode Control (AB-SMC) law to overcome the limitations of conventional SMC with constant gains. The key innovation lies in a dynamic, error-dependent adjustment of the sliding manifold, enhancing transient performance while guaranteeing high-precision trajectory tracking. Rigorous Lyapunov-based analysis establishes explicit ultimate bounds on the tracking error and ensures closed-loop stability, while extensive Monte Carlo simulations further validate the proposed AB-SMC compared to standard control approaches. Results show that AB-SMC achieves faster convergence, lower control effort, and sub-millimeter tracking accuracy, demonstrating its practical robustness and implementation feasibility in realistic, uncertain orbital environments while respecting low-thrust constraints.

Keywords

aerospace, control of multi satellite systems, guidance, navigation and control of aircraft and spacecraft

Citation

BibTeX

@article{Mancini_2026,
  title={{Adaptive sliding mode formation control for space interferometer missions}},
  volume={174},
  ISSN={0967-0661},
  DOI={10.1016/j.conengprac.2026.107025},
  journal={Control Engineering Practice},
  publisher={Elsevier BV},
  author={Mancini, Mauro and Tataru, Giulia Alessandra and Satoh, Satoshi and Capello, Elisa},
  year={2026},
  pages={107025}
}

Download the bib file

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