Another expert’s lecture
provided for the students
ofSpecial Guest Lecture byProf. Andres Marcos(Universidad Carlos III deMadrid (UC3M))
Andrés Marcos is the director of the space lab
ST3LLAR (https://st3llar.uc3m.es/), which ispart of the academic-industry aerospacechair between the Universidad Carlos III deMadrid (UC3M) and SENER (one of the main
Spanish engineering companies).
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Date:

Friday(23 June 2023)
Time:
13:00-14:30
Language: English

This event will
be in-person （対面)– see map on the nextpage.

Title:“Application of advanced robust control methods tothe ESA/NASA LISA mission”

Abstract:
Future space scientific and observation missions require
increasingly methodological and robust control designs in orderto fulfil, in the presence of uncertainties and external
disturbances, the stringent actuator/sensor constraints andperformance objectives these missions demand. In addition,these missions also require an increasingly complex series ofoperational modes, each using different suites of sensors,actuators, and control designs.
The need for robust controller designs and simplified modes isparadigmatically present in the Laser Interferometer SpaceAntenna (LISA) mission. This is a joint ESA/NASA mission aimed
at detecting and measuring gravitational waves in space. This will
be achieved by detecting pico-meter displacements between
free-flying test masses (TMs) contained within three identicalspacecraft (SC) heliocentrically orbiting in a triangular formation
Page 2with a separation of 2.5 million kilometres.

Title:“Application of advanced robust control methods to the ESA/NASA LISA mission”

Abstract:
LISA’s scientific objectives require to establish a laser link between the three spacecraft. But in order to achievethis, several operational modes are necessary, among which the following three are highlighted: theaccelerometer mode (where the test masses are released), the acquisition mode (where all laser links between
SCs are acquired), and the science mode (where some of the TMs coordinates need to be controlled in drag free
to fulfil stringent science spectral noise requirements). Each of these modes use a specific set of controllers,actuators and sensors and care must be taken to minimize the mode switching transients to avoid loss of laser linkor the test masses getting in contact with their cages within the spacecraft. In addition, LISA’s control system mustalso provide amelioration capabilities from events such as micro-meteoroid impacts (MMIs). These events pose aserious threat to the scientific observations of the LISA mission, since they might also cause the loss of the laser
links between S/C – and thus requiring their re-acquisition, a process that can take up to several hours resulting ina loss of scientific observation time.
This talk presents the methodological control design process used for several of the LISA modes as well as thedevelopment of an additional mode to handle the MMIs. Solutions to the latter have also been proposed by otherteams based on advanced (nonlinear or anti-windup) control methods, but the proposed mode is shown to besimple, but very effective. With respect to the LISA modes’ control designs, the robust H-infinity methods areused (the standard and the structured algorithms) and it is shown that they are capable of addressing all thePage 3
objectives while respecting all constraints.

4th floor ofGeneral & Research
Building #1(総合研究1号棟）4階“Seminar room”
NOTE: THERE IS NO NEED TO
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT. JUSTATTEND. BUT COME AT LEAST 5MINUTES EARLY – DO NOTINTERRUPT THE LECTURE BY
COMING INTO THE ROOM LATE.
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Speaker:

Bio of our guest Andrés Marcos
speaker
Beatriz Galindo Senior Distinguished Investigator UC3M-SENER Aerospace Chair
Director UC3M-SENER space lab ST3LLAR Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M),Spain Websites: https://aero.uc3m.es/ https://st3llar.uc3m.es/
Dr. Andrés Marcos received his Aerospace Engineering MSc. (2001) and Ph.D. (2004) degrees
from the University of Minnesota (USA) supervised by prof. Gary Balas. He has over 20-years
work experience on the development and application of robust control to aerospace systems,
about half in academic posts and half in industry. During his career he has been principal
investigator for over 22 projects / 17M€ related to re-entry vehicles, launchers, satellites,aircraft, and UAVs. The results of his research and development activities have been publishedin over 140 peer-reviewed publications, and together with his team he has flight tested robustcontrol controllers and fault detection and isolation filters in: aircraft (DLR’s ATTAS and JAXA’s
MuPAL-alpha), autonomous Vertical Take-Off and Landing vehicles (DLR’s EAGLE), and small
solid-fuel test rockets (NDUT).
Currently, he is a “Beatriz Galindo Distinguished Senior Investigator” at the aerospaceengineering department of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. This is a personal award
conferred by the Spanish Government to attract talent back to Spain. As such, Dr. Marcos hastaken over the directorship of the academia-industry UC3M-SENER space lab ST3LLAR and its
aerospace chair. He is also the founder and director of a small consultancy firm focused on
reducing the gap between theory and practice, Technology for Aerospace Control Ltd.Page(TASC5for short).

Note todoctoralstudents

Your attendance at this seminar can count towards credits that you need for“Interdisciplinary Seminar of Engineering” (doctoral candidates). See the following
websites for details:

Interdisciplinary Seminar of Engineeringhttps://www.tobata.kyutech.ac.jp/gr-school/gra-menu/
Space Engineering Seminarhttps://www.tobata.kyutech.ac.jp/gr-school/gra-menu/space-engineering-seminar/
For seminars held in-person, you should get a stamp or signature on a Performance
report form by Prof. Fuse as a proof of attendance.

For online seminars, instead of getting a stamp 印鑑 as a proof of attendance, submit a
one paragraph (75-150 words) summary (typed in English, with student ID number anddate, and then signed) using Microsoft Word. Send the file to Prof. Fuse within one weekof the lecture. His email address is: <fuse.tetsuhito856(at)mail.kyutech.jp>.
If you have any questions concerning the contents of this page, please contact theGraduate School Section: koh-daigakuin[at]jimu.kyutech.ac.jp

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promotional document for talk byAndres Marcos on
23 June 2023

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