Adaptive Neural Network Model-based Event-triggered Attitude Tracking Control for Spacecraft

This article investigates the problem of attitude tracking control for spacecraft with limited communication, unknown system parameters, and external disturbances. An adaptive control scheme with an event-triggered mechanism (ETM) is proposed to alleviate the communication burden. Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) estimation model is developed to provide the input signals for the control module in this control scheme. Estimated attitude information of the spacecraft generated from the estimation model will only be transmitted to the control module at the instants when the ETM is violated. The neural network (NN) and the estimation model will be updated complying with an adaptive algorithm at the discrete triggering instants. It’s substantiated that all the errors of attitude tracking converge towards corresponding residuals and there are no accumulated triggering instants. Numerical simulation also demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed control method.