Control of a free-flying space manipulation robot with a payload

The control modes of a free-flying space manipulation robot during the transportation and installation of a building element on a large space structure are considered. It is proposed to save the working fluid of the gas-jet engines of the robot body when moving along the trajectory by using the mobility of a manipulator with electromechanical drives for the angular stabilization of the mechanical “robot–transported element” system. Conditions ensuring the stable motion of the manipulator in the working area when installing the element on the assembled structure are obtained. A stability domain is determined to select the initial configuration of the manipulator before installing the element and its admissible change during installation. The control algorithms are designed based on the principle of dynamic feedback systems.