Predictive sliding mode control for flexible spacecraft attitude tracking with multiple disturbances

This study addresses the challenge of achieving high-precision attitude control in flexible spacecraft subjected to multiple disturbances (MD). A predictive sliding mode (PSM) control method is proposed to tackle this issue. First, a second-order fully actuated (SOFA) system model for the attitude control of flexible spacecraft is established. Subsequently, sliding mode variables are introduced to enhance the robustness of the closed-loop system. Then, a Diophantine equation and sliding mode variables are applied to establish an incremental second-order fully actuated (ISOFA) sliding mode predictive model. A sliding mode reference is designed using a double power function to eliminate jitter. Based on the designed sliding mode predictive model, the multi-step ahead predictions are developed to optimize attitude tracking performance and suppress MD. Furthermore, the control performance and stability of the system are analyzed. Finally, a series of simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.