Real-Time Autonomous Model Predictive Control of Spacecraft Rendezvous and Docking with Moving Obstacles

Autonomous rendezvous and docking, whereby two spacecraft come into close proximity and subsequently make mechanical contact, is used for on-orbit servicing missions. The safety of these missions is endangered by space debris and other hazards that pose a threat for collisions. The guidance algorithm onboard a spacecraft is responsible for planning a safe path to a target spacecraft and must actively avoid these hazards for the mission's success. This thesis presents a real-time optimal guidance algorithm for autonomous path-planning with moving obstacles based upon the Model Predictive Control framework. Numerical simulations are completed in two- and three-dimensions to prove the functionality of the algorithm. The current laboratory facility was upgraded to validate the real-time collision avoidance capabilities of the algorithm. The experiments are, to the best of the author's knowledge, the first to demonstrate the moving obstacle avoidance capabilities of a Model Predictive Controller for spacecraft rendezvous and docking.