An eigenaxis maneuver strategy with global robustness is studied for large angle attitude maneuver of rigid spacecraft. A sliding mode attitude control algorithm with an exponential time-varying sliding surface is designed, which guarantees the sliding mode occurrence at the beginning and eliminates the reaching phase of time-invariant sliding mode control. The proposed control law is global robust against matched external disturbances and system uncertainties, and ensures the eigenaxis rotation in the presence of disturbances and parametric uncertainties. The stability of the control law and the existence of global siding mode are proved by Lyapunov method. Furthermore, the system states can be fully predicted by the analytical solution of state equations, which indicates that the attitude error does not exhibit any overshoots and the system has a good dynamic response. A control torque command regulator is introduced to ensure the eigenaxis rotation under the actuator saturation. Finally, a numerical simulation is employed to illustrate the advantages of the proposed control law.
