This work develops a first Model Predictive Control for European Space Agencies 3-dof free-floating platform. The challenges of the platform are the on/off thrusters, which cannot be actuated continuously and which are subject to certain timing constraints. This work compares penalty-term, Linear Complementarity Constraints, and classical Mixed Integer formulations in order to develop a controller that natively handles binary inputs. Furthermore, linear constraints are proposed which enforce the timing constraints. Only the Mixed Integer formulation turns out to work sufficiently. Hence, this work develops a new Mixed Integer MPC on the decoupled model of the platform. Feasibility analysis and simulation results show that for a short enough prediction horizon, this controller can (sub)optimally stabilize and control the system under consideration of the constraints in real-time.

A dog-like robot being developed to hop across complex terrain on other planets has been used to play a live-action game of ping pong in its latest phase of testing. Scientists mounted the SpaceBok sideways onto a free-floating platform to mimic a zero gravity environment in two dimensions. They moved themselves side to side with a panel for the robot to bounce from. A reaction wheel helps the robot stabilise itself, swivelling 180 degrees mid-jump to position its feet on to the panel and push onto the opposite side. A dog-like robot being developed to hop across complex terrain on other planets has been used to play a live-action game of ping pong in its latest phase of testing.