Control-Enhanced Thrust-Vectoring Rockets: Comparative Insights from PID and FOPID Control

Thrust vectoring control systems are important given precision trajectory adjustment and increased maneuverability for aerospace applications. This paper compares the performance of the Proportional-Integral-Derivative and Fractional-Order PID controller over a dynamic thrust vectoring rocket system. A tested dynamic model, considering the flat Earth assumption, has considered all the major complexities: nozzle oscillation, thrust inconsistencies, and variation of mass moments of inertia. Similarly, extensive simulations demonstrate that the FOPID control outperforms conventional PID control instability, disturbance adaptability, and performance. These results confirm the potential of FOPID toward enhancing the control precision of thrust vectoring and thus set a background for subsequent research on hybrid and AI-based adaptive control methodologies for use in advanced aerospace missions. The results add weight to the understanding of robust control design, hence giving insights into their applications where high precision is needed, as in space explorations.