Basilisk-ROS 2 MPC

A Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for spacecraft position and attitude tracking with the Basilisk astrodynamics framework via the Basilisk-ROS 2 Bridge, built on the acados optimization framework.

The controller receives spacecraft states from a running Basilisk simulation over the bridge and publishes optimal thrust commands back in real time. It supports both direct thruster allocation and wrench-level (force/torque) control, and can optionally be operated interactively through RViz.

Leader-follower formation flying with three spacecraft controlled via identical ROS 2-based MPC, running in Basilisk simulation (left) and on the ATMOS free-flyers at KTH (right). See the paper for details.

• Basilisk-ROS 2 Messages
• acados
• casadi (pip install casadi)

cd your_ros2_workspace/src
git clone https://github.com/DISCOWER/bsk-msgs.git
git clone https://github.com/DISCOWER/bsk-ros2-mpc.git
cd ..
rosdep update
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -y
colcon build --packages-up-to bsk-ros2-mpc
source install/setup.bash

Before launching any MPC controller, ensure the Basilisk simulation and the Basilisk-ROS 2 Bridge are both running (see bridge Quick Start).

ros2 launch bsk-ros2-mpc mpc.launch.py

Notes:

• name_others enables multi-agent avoidance by passing other agents' positions into MPC constraints. Leave it empty for single-agent runs.
• skip_build:=True is useful for faster startup when the solver has already been generated for the same controller/model configuration.

Single-agent example with collision avoidance (avoid collision with bskSat1 and bskSat2)

ros2 launch bsk-ros2-mpc mpc.launch.py namespace:=bskSat0 name_others:="bskSat1 bskSat2"

ros2 launch bsk-ros2-mpc multi_mpc.launch.py agents:="bskSat0 bskSat1 bskSat2"

This launches one MPC per namespace with a shared visualizer and RViz window.

ros2 launch bsk-ros2-mpc leader_followers_mpc.launch.py

By default, this launches leaderSc with followers followerSc_1 and followerSc_2. Override the leader and follower namespaces with leader and followers:

ros2 launch bsk-ros2-mpc leader_followers_mpc.launch.py leader:=leaderSc followers:="followerSc_1 followerSc_2"

The launch starts the leader MPC, follower MPCs, waypoint publishers, and one shared visualizer and RViz window. Use rviz_mode:=off to disable the visualizer and RViz.

Missing acados dependencies: If the launch fails during solver generation, ensure the Python package acados_template is installed and that $ACADOS_SOURCE_DIR is correctly exported in your .bashrc.

Shared library error: If you encounter ImportError: libacados.so: cannot open shared object file, ensure your $LD_LIBRARY_PATH includes $ACADOS_SOURCE_DIR/lib.

Missing message types: If you receive errors about unknown types, ensure bsk_msgs and bsk_mpc_msgs are built and your workspace is fully sourced.

• Basilisk-ROS 2 Bridge
• Basilisk-ROS 2 Messages
• Basilisk Astrodynamics Simulation
• ROS 2 Documentation
• acados