Model Predictive Control for Collision-free Spacecraft Formation with Artificial Potential Functions

A collision-free formation control strategy for flying in formation is presented. A linear control law is developed by means of Model Predictive Control (MPC) via the dual-mode paradigm [1]. Collision avoidance is dealt with by using Artificial Potential Functions (APFs) to keep a desired safe distance from the obstacles. The main innovation in the proposed approach is that each spacecraft independently performs the collision avoidance manoeuvres and, as a consequence, the APFs-based collision avoidance control is in charge also of the collision avoidance between two spacecraft. The optimality of the solution is discussed and numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed method.