Safety-Critical Time-Synchronized Control for On-Orbit Approach to Rotating Targets

On-orbit operations play a critical role in modern space missions, enabling tasks such as satellite servicing, docking, and debris removal. However, the presence of motion constraints poses significant challenges to the design of effective control systems, requiring high precision, safety, and adaptability. To address this issue, this paper introduces the concept of time synchronized stability and develops a safety-critical pose control algorithm tailored for motion-constrained on-orbit operations. As a stepping stone, dual quaternions are used to unify kinematics representation of position and attitude maneuvers. Based on this representation, a special artificial potential field-based sliding mode surface is designed to ensure constrained-compliant motion control. Furthermore, time-synchronized stability analysis is applied to establish an integrated pose control strategy that guar antees both safety and stability throughout on-orbit operations. Compared to traditional control methods, the proposed controller achieves lower energy consumption and smoother maneuvers without increasing computational burden.