Adaptive relative orbit control considering laser ablation uncertainty

This study proposes a relative orbit control law for laser debris removal missions considering the uncertainties of laser ablation and atmospheric drag. A removal spacecraft irradiates laser pulses to a target debris to generate the ablation force for deorbiting. The deorbiting force lowers the target altitude, and the removal spacecraft must follow it to maintain its relative position for continuous laser irradiation. The difficulty stems from uncertainties of the magnitude of laser ablation and external disturbances such as atmospheric drag. To tackle this problem, this study derives an adaptive control method using the Gaussian process regression to cancel the uncertainties with a nonparametric regression model. Numerical simulations verify the proposed control law under the uncertainties of laser ablation and atmospheric drag. The proposed control law can contribute to the realization of a safer and more secure mission not only for laser debris removal missions, but also for other on-orbit services.