A high-performance robust attitude controller for flexible spacecraft

A robust controller design using the robust H,/p synthesis design methodology is shown to significantly improve performance over a classical-based approach for the attitude control of a satellite with lowfrequency flexible dynamics. The robust controller accounts for variations and uncertainties in the structural modal dynamics in the design providing robustness to modeling errors. Disturbance rejection performance is improved by producing a higher bandwidth than a classical approach which is limited by the low-frequency solar array flexible dynamics.