Motion Planning and Control for On-Orbit Assembly using LQR-RRT* and Nonlinear MPC

Abstract: Deploying large, complex space structures is of great interest to the modern scientific world as it can provide new capabilities in obtaining scientific, communicative, and observational information. However, many theoretical mission designs contain complexities that must be constrained by the requirements of the launch vehicle, such as volume and mass. To mitigate such constraints, the use of on-orbit additive manufacturing and robotic assembly allows for the flexibility of building large complex structures including telescopes, space stations, and communication satellites. The contribution of this work is to develop motion planning and control algorithms using the linear quadratic regulator and rapidly-exploring randomized trees (LQR-RRT*), path smoothing, and tracking the trajectory using a closed-loop nonlinear receding horizon control optimizer for a robotic Astrobee free-flyer. By obtaining controlled trajectories that consider obstacle avoidance and dynamics of the vehicle and manipulator, the free-flyer rapidly considers and plans the construction of space structures. The approach is a natural generalization to repairing, refueling, and re-provisioning space structure components while providing optimal collision-free trajectories during operation.