  The work considers the design of an indirect adaptive controller for a
satellite equipped with a robotic arm manipulating an object. Uncertainty on
the manipulated object can considerably impact the overall behavior of the
system. In addition, the dynamics of the actuators of the base satellite are
non-linear and can be affected by malfunctioning. Neglecting these two
phenomena may lead to excessive control effort or degrade performance. An
indirect adaptive control approach is pursued, which allows consideration of
relevant features of the actuators dynamics, such as loss of effectiveness.
Furthermore, an adaptive law that preserves the physical consistency of the
inertial parameters of the various rigid bodies comprising the system is
employed. The performance and robustness of the controller are first analyzed
and then validated in simulation.
