Integrated modeling of spacecraft relative motion dynamics using dual quaternion

To realize high accurate control of relative position and attitude between two spacecrafts, the coupling between position and attitude must be fully considered and a more precise model should be established. This paper breaks the traditional divide and conquer idea, and uses a mathematical tool, namely dual quaternion to establish the integrated 6 degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) model of relative position and attitude, which describes the coupled relative motion in a compact and efficient form and needs less information of the target. Considering the complex operation rules and the unclarity of the current relative motion model in dual quaternion, necessary mathematical foundations are given at first, followed by clear and detailed modeling process and analysis. Finally a generalized proportion-derivative (PD) controller law is designed. The simulation results show that based on the integrated model established by dual quaternion, this control law can achieve a high control accuracy of relative motion.