How do I rendezvous?

[skylifeplays]

Even after about a four month experience with the original game before I got ksp2, I still do not understand how to rendezvous. I need help on understanding how to do it, because I feel like its a skill I have been lacking for a while now. I can do landing rendezvous easily, just got to get your craft's trajectory almost right next to the icon on the surface. However, orbital rendezvous seems... complicated. Could anyone give me a simple demonstration weather it be by video, image, or text? It would be a huge help.

[HebaruSan]

You didn't specify whether you were able to rendezvous in the first game. If not, I highly recommend this tutorial:

I assume some of the general concepts will still apply to the sequel (I haven't played it yet), but I don't know how easy it is to adapt to the new UI/UX.

[BechMeister]

Okay.. ill try do it in text, if that doesnt help you ill make a guide with pictures.

Lets say you want to rendezvous with a target that orbits a perfect 100.000 km flat.. This is how you rendezvous with it:

A. Get your rocket into orbit with either your AP or PE at 100km to intersect target orbit.
B. Make sure your Descending Node (DN) is 0.0° to the target. - You do this by manipulating Normal and Anti-Normal.
C. Now raise your AP to 150-200km and keep your PE at 90-100km - This will make your orbit longer than the target and therefore make your 1A - 1B and 2A - 2B  (the position of your ship and target when the two orbits intersect) change with every orbit, as the target will do more revolutions around the planet than you during the same time.
D. Wait.. - Yeah. now you just wait the amount of revolutions it takes for your 1A and 1B or 2A and 2B to be relatively close.
E. You have successfully waited and now your 1A and 1B is close enough to make a maneuver. You now wanna manipulate the blue maneuver node: Radial in/Radial out. to correct 1A and 1B to be on top of each other. 
F. Time warp until your 20km off the target. Then make a new maneuver node manipulating the blue node (Radial in/radial out) to match the orbit of the target, and manipulate the green node (prograde/Retrograde) to break = Lower your AP - WHILE making sure your A1 and B1 dont drift a part.
G. Now use your RCS thrusters and or careful boost to correct your last maneuvering. 

Keep in mind. When you use the RCS thrusters - it is not necessarily best practise to use "aim at target" as you will create movement towards prograde, normal and radial that you have to cancel later. At this stage.. just look at your target. Are you gaining on it? Burn retrograde with your RCS thrusters to break. Is the target moving up down? Burn Radial out/in to make it stand still in frame. Is it moving left to right? Burn Normal anti-normal. 

When you are under a 1000m from your target it gets a lot easier to see how your movement is compared to the target. Here your goal is just to make the target not move, left right up down to you.. and if you can, move closer slowly. When you are within 100m you will start maneuvering to the point were you can dock.

You can also use the ] or å (if you have a danish keyboard) to take control of the target.. set the docking port on your rocket as target and make it point to it with the SAS not the RCS.. they will make the two dance around each other. This will make it easier to make sure your craft and targets docking ports are pointing at each other.

Oh and lastely... NEVER approach the target with "Target" and RCS thrusters on.. for some reason.. the micro adjustments the craft keep doing will push you around and make your dance around it...

If you use "target" and "anti-target" press it. have the craft align. then press the "Stability off" and burn towards the target. Do your own changes left right up down. (without rolling and pitching)

Hope this helps. - If not i guess ill have to put pictures... or god forbid it.. make my own tutorial.

 

good luck!

[schlosrat]

If you’re up for using a mod Flight Plan can help you here. See this video for a rendezvous demo using Flight Plan.
 

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by schlosrat