Long-term distance-keeping for satellite cluster system in leader-follower form

A modified control algorithm is proposed for a long-term distance-keeping problem of a satellite cluster system in leader-follower form. This satellite cluster system consists of one leader and several followers. The leader keeps at a certain orbit dealing with data processing, task planning and decision making of the whole system, while the followers move around the leader freely with specific functions. According to the characteristics of the system, an adaptive control logic and a Lyapunov-based controller are designed with the consideration of the different constraint conditions. The control algorithm is a combination of both the control logic and the controller, and makes the multi-satellite system work properly under the distance constrains and consume less fuel. Numerical simulations have demonstrated the effectiveness of the algorithm proposed.