Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions

In satellite formation flying, maintaining a predefined safety distance between the reference satellite and its accompanying satellites is critical to prevent collisions—a requirement that traditional control methods fail to satisfy. This paper proposes a novel safety control algorithm that enforces...

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Main Authors: Xu Zhang, Haiqiang Wang, Dongze Li, Zijie Ji
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3751
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author Xu Zhang
Haiqiang Wang
Dongze Li
Zijie Ji
author_facet Xu Zhang
Haiqiang Wang
Dongze Li
Zijie Ji
author_sort Xu Zhang
collection DOAJ
description In satellite formation flying, maintaining a predefined safety distance between the reference satellite and its accompanying satellites is critical to prevent collisions—a requirement that traditional control methods fail to satisfy. This paper proposes a novel safety control algorithm that enforces the relative position constraint as a formal safety condition. Specifically, we construct a high-order control barrier function (HOCBF) tailored to the dynamics of satellite formations, which defines a safety set that guarantees collision avoidance. By formulating and solving a quadratic programming problem embedded with the HOCBF, we obtain a safe controller that ensures the forward invariance of the safety set. Simulation results demonstrate that our controller effectively maintains the required safety distance and prevents collisions under various disturbance scenarios, outperforming conventional methods in terms of response speed and robustness. These findings confirm the practical advantages of the proposed approach for safe satellite formation flying.
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issn 2076-3417
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publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-878db74b4fe64643b34e69160bc9ab5b2025-08-20T02:17:00ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01157375110.3390/app15073751Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier FunctionsXu Zhang0Haiqiang Wang1Dongze Li2Zijie Ji3Institute of Telecommunication and Navigation Satellite, China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing 100089, ChinaInstitute of Telecommunication and Navigation Satellite, China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing 100089, ChinaInstitute of Telecommunication and Navigation Satellite, China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing 100089, ChinaInstitute of Telecommunication and Navigation Satellite, China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing 100089, ChinaIn satellite formation flying, maintaining a predefined safety distance between the reference satellite and its accompanying satellites is critical to prevent collisions—a requirement that traditional control methods fail to satisfy. This paper proposes a novel safety control algorithm that enforces the relative position constraint as a formal safety condition. Specifically, we construct a high-order control barrier function (HOCBF) tailored to the dynamics of satellite formations, which defines a safety set that guarantees collision avoidance. By formulating and solving a quadratic programming problem embedded with the HOCBF, we obtain a safe controller that ensures the forward invariance of the safety set. Simulation results demonstrate that our controller effectively maintains the required safety distance and prevents collisions under various disturbance scenarios, outperforming conventional methods in terms of response speed and robustness. These findings confirm the practical advantages of the proposed approach for safe satellite formation flying.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3751satellite formationhigh-order control barrier functionssafety control
spellingShingle Xu Zhang
Haiqiang Wang
Dongze Li
Zijie Ji
Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions
Applied Sciences
satellite formation
high-order control barrier functions
safety control
title Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions
title_full Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions
title_fullStr Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions
title_full_unstemmed Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions
title_short Safety Control for Satellite Formation Flying via High-Order Control Barrier Functions
title_sort safety control for satellite formation flying via high order control barrier functions
topic satellite formation
high-order control barrier functions
safety control
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3751
work_keys_str_mv AT xuzhang safetycontrolforsatelliteformationflyingviahighordercontrolbarrierfunctions
AT haiqiangwang safetycontrolforsatelliteformationflyingviahighordercontrolbarrierfunctions
AT dongzeli safetycontrolforsatelliteformationflyingviahighordercontrolbarrierfunctions
AT zijieji safetycontrolforsatelliteformationflyingviahighordercontrolbarrierfunctions