Variable structure control scheme for landing on a celestial object

Abstract

This paper considers the landing of a space vehicle on a celestial object. By assuming the air drag in two specific forms and th uncertainty in matching type, their effects are studied. Through the construction of a time-varying boundary layer, a new guidance control law for landing on a celestial object is proposed via the variable structure control (VSC) technique to guarantee that tracking performance is achieved at an exponential convergence rate. The proposed guidance law is continuous and alleviates chattering drawback by classic VSC design. Finally, simulation results are presented to illustrate the use of the main design.