2 vessels just not docking, perfectly aligned and 0.1m/s KSP 1.2

[TygeR]

I've an issue with KSP2, After an apollo style mission my lander won't dock again to the orbiter. It has been docked to the same port in deep space before. But now after landing on the mun it just won't anymore. any ideas?

Both dock ports are not moved after placing BTW, so nothing is supposed to block them. Also like said before they have docked after launch in deep space.

[18Watt]

The game is paused in that screenshot.  

Have you tried quick saving/quickloading?  Or even saving the game, exiting, and returning?   Edit: See @The Aziz's next post.  Quicksaving and loading with vessels close to each other might cause another exciting issue.

In KSP1 it was sometimes necessary to back the vessels away from each other, 10-20 m, then try docking again.

[The Aziz]

49 minutes ago, 18Watt said:

The game is paused in that screenshot.  

Have you tried quick saving/quickloading?  Or even saving the game, exiting, and returning?

In KSP1 it was sometimes necessary to back the vessels away from each other, 10-20 m, then try docking again.

Better not...

 

 

[TygeR]

I've reloaded multiple times before posting and did not have a problem with the vessels spinning away. They also have been apart for more than a 100m multimple times during the multiple attempts a did to try and dock them. I even checked the save files to ensure the "top node" is free of any other nodes (i.e. when it thinks there is still something attached due to a bug). The dock ports both do not give the option to undock. So i'm really clueless now.

I indeed paused the game at this point to get a good screenshot that shows how they are together in the bad lighting conditions available.

Edited December 28, 2023 by TygeR

[TygeR]

Ok, it seems apollo style missions are just doomed to fail. Just did another one to the mun arch. However again the 2 vessels (newly build) do not dock. The docked easilly and quick the first time around (assambling before transfer), but after the mun landing i was unable to dock again. Same as in the screenshot above. Even with perfect alignment and 0 speed between the vessels they just don't dock. So maybe the docking port is one time use only in KSP2?

Also the state of the lander remained landed whilst in space so had to use the cheat menu to get it "in orbit" again. One helpfull fact is that this saves you from editing the save files to change the state from landed to orbiting manually.

My mun is now orbited by 2 landers and 1 orbiter (another time the lander combined with the orbiter was told to have 0 dV) so i left the orbiter (had only one kerbal on bord that time). The other 2 times the lander was not capable of landing on kerbin and i had 3 kerbals so i took the orbiter home to kerbin. Planning was on both tries to do mun and minmus in one go, but the game won't let me.... Still a lot to be fixed by the devs sadly, but on the positive side, the game is now "playable" and enjoyable which is a big step up from pre v0.2

[hatterson]

9 minutes ago, TygeR said:

Ok, it seems apollo style missions are just doomed to fail. Just did another one to the mun arch. However again the 2 vessels (newly build) do not dock. The docked easilly and quick the first time around (assambling before transfer), but after the mun landing i was unable to dock again. Same as in the screenshot above. Even with perfect alignment and 0 speed between the vessels they just don't dock. So maybe the docking port is one time use only in KSP2?

Also the state of the lander remained landed whilst in space so had to use the cheat menu to get it "in orbit" again. One helpfull fact is that this saves you from editing the save files to change the state from landed to orbiting manually.

My mun is now orbited by 2 landers and 1 orbiter (another time the lander combined with the orbiter was told to have 0 dV) so i left the orbiter (had only one kerbal on bord that time). The other 2 times the lander was not capable of landing on kerbin and i had 3 kerbals so i took the orbiter home to kerbin. Planning was on both tries to do mun and minmus in one go, but the game won't let me.... Still a lot to be fixed by the devs sadly, but on the positive side, the game is now "playable" and enjoyable which is a big step up from pre v0.2

I've performed Mun and Duna/Ike apollo style mission without issues.

For both I launched docked since the main reason for having them upright in the stack to start (escape tower) wasn't available.

Went to Mun, undocked lander, landed, came back, docked, transferred Kerbals, undocked. Panicked that I had forgot science, redocked, realized it was all there, undocked, flex back to Kerbin.

Went to duna, undocked lander, landed at duna, launched lander and came back to dock, transfered to Ike, undocked lander, landed, came back and docked, transferred everything and fuel, and went back to Kerbin.

It's hard to see in the screenshot due to light, but it appears our docking style was the same. Top mount on the command pod and top mound on the lander.

[The Aziz]

Different experiences, similar approach - my big question is, had any of you planted a flag while on the surface? They used to cause some problems with vehicle state some time ago, so maybe they affect the ability to dock previously landed vessels as well.

[hatterson]

4 minutes ago, The Aziz said:

Different experiences, similar approach - my big question is, had any of you planted a flag while on the surface? They used to cause some problems with vehicle state some time ago, so maybe they affect the ability to dock previously landed vessels as well.

I believe I planted a flag on Duna and Ike, but unfortunately I don't see a way in the UI to see where flags were planted to be able to confirm. I also don't see one on the mun or min and I definitely planted one there so I'm not really sure why they're not showing up.

[TygeR]

I did plant flags at all tries up to now, for they were also part of the missions. And i have the habbit of doing so from KSP1.

After some failed docking attempts i did check the save file to see if there were strange states in the save file, but could not find any anomaly there.

[neon1ck]

Yep I planted a flag and can't dock on my Apollo style mission either. Frustrating. Will try without flag planting

[neon1ck]

Update, this flight (both modules) are stuck in a fixed position in space. Going to be an interesting rescue mission.

[TygeR]

4 hours ago, neon1ck said:

Update, this flight (both modules) are stuck in a fixed position in space. Going to be an interesting rescue mission.

Well since it is a bug in the game, i do not see harm in using the cheat menu to get them in orbit again... As long as the game is buggy and this menu is the only reasonable solution...

[TygeR]

Sadly still many bugs.... Another mission (apollo style) this time on assembly with full tanks and a functional engine it believes there is 0dV. And hence won't let you create manouver nodes.... Even though i can perfecly execute a burn without issue.

Also why does the game not allow you to create a manouver node when there is no dV (even though in this case there is plenty) but it can still be helpfull to know how much fuel would be needed in case of refueling for instance... Getting to the point where i'm going to abandon the game again and wait for the next update...

[kdaviper]

22 hours ago, TygeR said:

Sadly still many bugs.... Another mission (apollo style) this time on assembly with full tanks and a functional engine it believes there is 0dV. And hence won't let you create manouver nodes.... Even though i can perfecly execute a burn without issue.

Also why does the game not allow you to create a manouver node when there is no dV (even though in this case there is plenty) but it can still be helpfull to know how much fuel would be needed in case of refueling for instance... Getting to the point where i'm going to abandon the game again and wait for the next update...

The game calculates dV changes by taking into consideration start and ending mass of the vehicle. 

So if it did allow you, out would only be useful for knowing dV requirements and not how much fuel you would need

[kot_behemot]

Looks like I have the exact same problem. I sent a mission to Mun, detached a lander, landed, returned with the lander to the orbiter and docked to it without problems. Then I returned with my orbiter to Kerbin and left the empty lander on Mun's orbit. Later I returned there with a different orbiter and tried to dock to that old lander again, but it won't work. No matter how perfectly I try to dock, it just bounces off. I managed to transfer a Kerbal to the lander via EVA, but it didn't help. It's very irritating...

[DaveLChgo]

Good day all and Happy New Year!!

I too was having docking issues.  I did read in a KSP tech blog that certain docking / separator / decoupler issues.  (I have been trying to find the blog to pin as reference but cannot. )   But it did point me in the right direction.  

Docking is problematic depending on how the craft is assembled.    My previous attempts at Apollo style launches were to have (bottom up) all the booster stuff - Lander - docking port - separator - engine bell to the CM.   1st pic.   

The above configuration would always result with a failure in the ability to dock.    After some experimenting and many trial and error Apollo 9 style missions, I have found the best configuration with the current game version. (KSP2 v0.2.0)  

Try this arrangement in the VAB...   Lander - docking port - docking port (flipped) - decoupler - engine bell.   

As shown below.  Also below that pic is a video showing the complete Kerbin to Mun mission.  Its long (40min) but if you skipped around to the docking scenes you can see that they will work.  Undocking can also be an issue but if one port doesn't undock try the other port.  I hope this helps everyone until the docking gets fully fixed.

Working config in the VAB as shown below.   

 

 

 

 

[Superfluous J]

18 minutes ago, DaveLChgo said:

The above configuration would always result with a failure in the ability to dock.

KSP1 had a similar issue. Decoupling the decoupler didn't tell the docking port to clear it's "docked" flag.

[The Aziz]

Weirdly enough, with the engine bell-separator-docking port scheme, I was able to dock on the way to the Mun. Just not after returning to orbit from the surface.

[Mutex]

On 12/30/2023 at 4:05 PM, TygeR said:

Sadly still many bugs.... Another mission (apollo style) this time on assembly with full tanks and a functional engine it believes there is 0dV. And hence won't let you create manouver nodes.... Even though i can perfecly execute a burn without issue.

The only workaround I've found for this issue is to manually make a new stage in your staging, move the engines to it, and then press spacebar to "re-stage" the engines. This makes the game recognise them as in-use engines, and use them to calculate dV.

[Scarecrow71]

Not sure if it was mentioned in this thread (I did read it, so sorry if I missed it), but what docking port is having this issue?  In a sandbox game I have where I'm trying to build a massive space station, I am using the large flat docking port (forgot the name of it), and I have had no issues with decoupling, docking, undocking, redocking, etc.  But I have noticed that when I use the Clamp-O-Tron (the larger of the 2 with this name) I do sometimes have issues with it not realizing it should be able to dock but isn't.

Just a thought?

[The Aziz]

Maybe, I haven't tried it with anything else.

Now, I'm just saying cuz..

It's a serious issue, and only one proper bug report. I'd highly recommend upvoting and adding to the report your findings. Or creating new ones, even better cuz of the attachments.