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| Antonello Giannitrapani

Aerospace applications

Attitude and orbit control systems, Satellite rendezvous, Model Predictive Control

This research line focuses on the application of estimation and control techniques to aerospace problems, with a special emphasis on electric propulsion. Some of the addressed problems include:

  • Autonomous orbit raising and rendezvous
  • Attitude control with on/off actuators
  • Spacecraft self-localization from angle measurements

See our Journal papers or Conference papers on this topic.

Journal papers

Mirko Leomanni, Renato Quartullo, Gianni Bianchini, Andrea Garulli, Antonio Giannitrapani (2022). Variable-Horizon Guidance for Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking to a Tumbling Target. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 45(5):846-858.

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M Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2020). An adaptive groundtrack maintenance scheme for spacecraft with electric propulsion. Acta Astronautica, 167:460–466.

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M. Leomanni, G. Bianchini, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, R. Quartullo (2020). Orbit control techniques for space debris removal missions using electric propulsion. Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 43(7):1259–1268.

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, R. Quartullo (2020). Satellite relative motion modeling and estimation via nodal elements. Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 43(10):1904-1914.

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M. Leomanni, G. Bianchini, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, R. Quartullo (2019). Sum-of-Norms model predictive control for spacecraft maneuvering. IEEE Control Systems Letters, 3(3):649–654.

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M. Leomanni, G. Bianchini, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani (2018). State feedback control in equinoctial variables for orbit phasing applications. Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 41(8):1812–1819.

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M. Leomanni, G. Bianchini, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani (2017). A class of globally stabilizing feedback controllers for the orbital rendezvous problem. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 27(18):4607–4621.

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Farina, F. Scortecci (2017). Minimum switching thruster control for spacecraft precision pointing. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 53(2):683–697.

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2017). Propulsion options for very low Earth orbit microsatellites. Acta Astronautica, 133:444–454.

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2015). All-Electric spacecraft precision pointing using model predictive control. Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 38(1):161-167.

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A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, M. Leomanni (2015). Minimum switching control for systems of coupled double integrators. Automatica, 60:115 - 121.

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A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, M. Leomanni, F. Scortecci (2011). Autonomous Low-Earth-Orbit station-keeping with electric propulsion. Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 34(6):1683-1693.

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A. Giannitrapani, N. Ceccarelli, F. Scortecci, A. Garulli (2011). Comparison of EKF and UKF for spacecraft localization via angle measurements. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 47(1):75-84.

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Conference papers

M. Leomanni, G. Bianchini, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, R. Quartullo (2020). An MPC Strategy for Low-Thrust Space Debris Rendezvous. In: Proceedings of the 59th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 1484-1489, Jeju Island (Korea).

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M. Leomanni, G. Bianchini, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani (2016). Nonlinear orbit control with longitude tracking. In: Proceedings of the 55th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 1316-1321, Las Vegas (USA).

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2016). Propulsion options for station-keeping of small LEO satellites. In: Space Propulsion 2016, Rome (Italy).

Aerospace applications

M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2015). Minimum switching control for spacecraft precision pointing with on/off actuators. In: Proceedings of the 54th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 3415-3420, Osaka (Japan).

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, P. Pergola, F. Petroni, F. Scortecci (2015). SSCAM: Micro-satellite platform for Earth observation. In: Proceedings of the 10th IAA Symposium on Small Satellites for Earth Observation, Berlin (Germany).

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A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, M. Leomanni (2014). Minimum switching limit cycle oscillations for systems of coupled double integrators. In: Proceedings of the 53rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 4655-4660, Los Angeles (USA).

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2013). An MPC-based attitude control system for all-electric spacecraft with on/off actuators. In: Proceedings of the 52nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, pp. 4853-4858, Florence (Italy).

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M. Leomanni, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, F. Scortecci (2013). Precise attitude control of all-electric GEO spacecraft using Xenon microthrusters. In: Proceedings of the 33rd International Electric Propulsion Conference, Washinghton D.C. (USA).

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A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, M. Leomanni, F. Scortecci (2011). Autonomous station keeping for LEO missions with a hybrid continuous-impulsive electric propulsion system. In: Proceedings of the 32nd International Electric Propulsion Conference, Kurhaus (Germany).

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N. Ceccarelli, A. Garulli, A. Giannitrapani, M. Leomanni, F. Scortecci (2007). Spacecraft localization via angle measurements for autonomous navigation in deep space missions. In: Proceedings of the 17th IFAC Symposium on Automatic Control in Aerospace, pp. 551-556, Toulouse (France).

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