Autonomous Spacecraft Docking Under Uncertainty Using Vision-Based Navigation and Thruster Control

International Journal of Aerospace Engineering

卷:2026

Research Article

Pourya Shokrolahi¹  Hojat Taei² 

[1] Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran, ui.ac.ir

[2] Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, modares.ac.ir

关键词: autonomous docking;    Kalman filter;    PWPF modulation;    SDRE controller;    vision-based navigation;   

DOI  :  10.1155/ijae/6523148

 received in 2026-04-26, accepted in 2026-07-16,  发布年份 2026

来源: Hindawi Publishing Corporation

【 摘 要 】

This paper describes the rendezvous and docking of spacecraft under uncertain conditions. Vision-based navigation is employed as a cost-effective and practical method to enhance the accuracy of navigation and control in order to estimate the relative position and attitude of the spacecraft. Because of the limited sampling frequency of vision-based sensors, their standalone use fails to provide sufficient accuracy. Therefore, a discrete-time Kalman filter is employed to fuse vision-based navigation data with noisy system dynamics. For spacecraft position and attitude control, an SDRE controller is implemented, and the on–off behavior of cold gas thrusters is modeled using PWPF modulators. To reduce fuel consumption and enhance agility, a multiobjective genetic algorithm is used to optimize the SDRE gains as well as the PWPF parameters. Simulation results demonstrate that this approach not only improves docking accuracy but also reduces impact velocity and increases robustness to uncertainties, indicating its potential for autonomous docking missions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
Copyright © 2026 Pourya Shokrolahi and Hojat Taei. International Journal of Aerospace Engineering published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 2026

【 图 表 】

Figure 4

Figure 13

Figure 2

Figure 8

FIGURE 21

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 3

FIGURE 4

Figure 3

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 6

FIGURE 1

Figure 10

Figure 2

Figure 1

FIGURE 9

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 2