A Comparative Study of Formation Control at the Earth-Moon L₂ Libration Point

This thesis examines the performance of control methods that fall under the optimal, predictive and adaptive classifications, subjected to sensor/actuator faults, and presents approaches to apply them to non-affine systems utilizing single thruster and solar sail actuator configurations. The system of interest consists of a leader-follower satellite formation near the L2 point of the Earth-Moon system. The control methods studied here include those which are emerging in the space systems literature, and are evaluated in terms of their transient and steady state responses, and control input variation. Numerical simulation of faults affecting both sensor and propulsion actuator systems are conducted, along with an experiment to validate the results in a laboratory environment. The observed behavioral characteristics in the simulations match those demonstrated in the experiment. Alternative representations of dynamics were explored for controller design of non-affine systems. The research presented herein provides support for the usage of the proposed control strategies in future space applications.