Dynamic modeling and attitude control for large modular antennas on-orbit assembly

On -orbit assembly is an effective technological approach for constructing large-scale space antennas. Variations in spacecraft configuration during on -orbit assembly poses challenges to the attitude stability control. In this context, a method for dynamic modeling and attitude control is proposed for the on -orbit assembly process of modular antennas, wherein the parameters of the attitude controller and dynamic model can autonomously update with the changing spacecraft assembly configurations. An attractive feature of the approach lies in the establishing the connection between proportional -derivative (PD) controller and dynamics model by decoupling the rotational inertia matrix of system, allowing for the self -update of controller parameters. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, the co -simulation model is constructed, demonstrating its efficacy in controlling the on -orbit assembly of a 30m -diameter antenna comprising 61 antenna modules. It is observed that three attitude angles of the satellite stabilize after 12 s, and the maximum overshoot is limited to under 20%. Furthermore, we explore the impact of orbital rotation angular velocity and gravity gradient on the assembly process, the control time consistently remains under 20 s. Numerical examples validate the efficacy of the proposed approach for attitude control.