Launcher Attitude Control: Some Answers to the Robustness Issue

Abstract This paper presents the main results obtained in the frame of PIROLA, a 3 years research working group on robust control of launchers, under financial support of CNES induding ONERA, EADS Space Transportation, the control departments of Supelcc and SUPAERO, and CNRS/LAAS. The first part of the paper addresses the general problem of the attitude control of launchers specially the robustness concern. In the second part the different synthesis methods which have been proposed and tested during the project are described. Some of them address the stationary control problem and have therefore to be associated to an interpolation algorithm to be implemented. Two other methods aim at designing nonstationary controllers. The advantages and limits of each method for this particular problem are emphasized.