A Tutorial on Model Predictive Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous

This tutorial paper provides a review of recent advances in the field of spacecraft rendezvous using model predictive control (MPC), an advanced optimal control strategy based on on-line constrained optimisation of control inputs based on predictions of future trajectories. Firstly, the rendezvous objectives, and the generic constrained MPC problem formulation are summarised. This is followed by a discussion of how to select the three key ingredients used in an MPC design: the prediction model, the constraints and the cost function. Since MPC implementation relies on finding the solution to constrained optimisation problems in real-time, computational aspects are also briefly examined. The paper concludes with conjecture on ways the use of MPC in this application could be further advanced.