Any tips for docking?

[AstroWolfie]

I want to build an interplanetary orbit-constructed spacecraft, but I don't know how to rendezvous. Do you have a simple tutorial? Thanks guys.

[Vanamonde]

Here's a guide by one of our moderators. 

 

[Kerbalsaurus]

Ah, rendezvous a doozy to learn at first. But after a while it becomes second nature. I suppose I can help out here. I guess I'm now doing my first tutorial here. Now, there are two ways to rendezvous. You can either wait till your target is right above you, or you can launch your target to a much higher orbit. I suggest the latter. For this, I'm using a space station, but you can really use whatever. So first, you're going to want to launch your target to a 200x200km orbit, like this:

Next, your going to want to launch what's actually going to dock to your target too a 100x100km orbit. This gives you a lot of wiggle room.

I actually got into a really good position here. Next, you're going to want to adjust your orbital plane. Set up a maneuver node at either you Ascending or Descending node (whatever's closer).

In this case, it's the ascending node. With this position, you're going to want to pull of your anti-normal node until the ascending node reaches 0.0. Do the same thing for descending node, but using the normal node instead.

Now, preform the maneuver!

Next, set up the actual rendezvous maneuver. Pull on the prograde node , and get your intersect close to 0.0km. Move your maneuver a little if you have to. In the end, it should look like this:

Now, set your navball to "target", and click retrograde .

Once your about 1.5km away, fire your engines till your right next to your target.

Then you'll want to right-click the docking port, and aim at the space station.

And with your target, right-click on its docking port and aim for the docking object. This is a process known as the "Lowne Lazy Method".

Now just fire your RCS jets and move towards your target at a speed between 0.5-1.0m/s. Just wait now, and occasionally correct your position. Docking port alignment mod helps with this. And before you know it...

Your docked! It doesn't take all that long. It's really easier done than said.

Jeb goes for an EVA

[Mushylog]

5 hours ago, AstroWolfie said:

I want to build an interplanetary orbit-constructed spacecraft, but I don't know how to rendezvous. Do you have a simple tutorial? Thanks guys.

If you're having trouble moving around your target, when you're close to it (<1Km), and you're trying go around the craft, to align with its docking port, disable the Yaw, Pitch and Roll of your RCS thrusters, so that you only have Dorsal, etc. inputs, in the Parts Manager.
I found that it would try to negate every input, resulting in wasting RCS propellant while not moving as I desired.

[Socraticat]

This process works for me every time. Other guides are more thorough, or use more appropriate terminology- mine is just some simple sped up gameplay with Danse Macabre/ Camille Saint Saens in the background and a text overlay.

These links can also be found in the KSP2 Gameplay Questions and Tutorials section of these forums. There are a lot of great "How-To" tips in there worth spending time watching/reading. You're definitely in the right place to find help!

[RevanX_LSR]

13 hours ago, AstroWolfie said:

I want to build an interplanetary orbit-constructed spacecraft, but I don't know how to rendezvous. Do you have a simple tutorial? Thanks guys.

assuming you are in low kerbin orbit, your first craft should be in a circular, non-inclined orbit, preferably at around 80km. Launch your second craft when the first craft is approximately 5° behind your first craft or directly over and launch into a lower orbit at around 75km, preferably circular and non-eccentric.

Next, set the first craft as target and warp to the ascending node or descending node. If at ascending node burn anti-normal and if at descending node burn normal. You may need a maneuver node. Burn until the ascending and descending node are less than 0.1°.

Next, warp until the two craft are as close to each other as possible. Since the lower craft was trailing. its higher orbital speed allows it to catch up. Then, burn prograde until one of your closest approach is about a few hundred meters.

Warp to closest approach and burn retrograde relative to target until the relative velocity is 0m/s. Then slowly burn toward the target. Switch to the first vessel and set the other vessel as target (and using sas to hold target) to automatically align the craft’s docking port. Once you reach a close enough distance to the target, burn retrograde one last time and then use target sas to align the second vessel’s docking ports. with both ports aligned, burn toward target very slowly and the two ports should touch which will cause you to dock!

[AtomicTech]

21 hours ago, AstroWolfie said:

I want to build an interplanetary orbit-constructed spacecraft, but I don't know how to rendezvous. Do you have a simple tutorial? Thanks guys.

There's always the Lowne Lazy Method of Docking.

Just now, AtomicTech said:

There's always the Lowne Lazy Method of Docking.

What I always do is get to a similar PE to my target but with a higher AP. Then I warp around till I get a close encounter (you can tweak this with a maneuver node) and even if I'm more than 10km out, I can burn retrograde relative to target then burn towards the target, repeating until I can do the Lowne Lazy Method.

[TwoCalories]

I'll add onto these posts with my own way of docking: I personally stray away from the LLM (Lowne Lazy Method) when it comes to space stations for realism, but that's for more experienced dockers, like myself (if I do say so myself). You can also dock to a space station in the same orbital height if you time your launch when you draw a line from the target to the body to the active vessel, it should be about 45 degrees for Kerbin. For airless bodies like the Mun, you can just launch when its right above.

Of course, if you time your launch wrong, it could complicate your rendezvous. If so, I try to get as close of an encounter as possible and once I've slowed down relative to the target, I burn pointing towards the target. Cheesy? Maybe, but it gets the job done.

But, if possible, you need to get mods. There's a mod, Docking Port Alignment Indicator, and it's great. It gives you all the info and makes docking way easier than doing it by eye. You can see it in use in @Kerbalsaurus's post. The window with the green crosshair thing and prograde icons.