Earth to ISS speed record

[jjake101]

Whats the fastest time you've gone from launch to docking with the ISS?
Mine is 5 hours and 40 minutes using the Falcon 9 Cargo Dragon

I think the real life record is 6 hours

 

[Kyle]

I don't know, I haven't tried that one yet! Think I'll give it a try with a Soyuz or Dragon to the ISS.

 

[N_Molson]

You mean with realistic spacecrafts ? I'm pretty sure that some DG/XR pilots have managed to get well under 1 hour.

 

[n122vu]

Trying to find an older thread (I actually just found it yesterday) where a few members had posted their times, some were in the 10-15 minute range or less.

**EDIT: Here it is.

 

[Loru]

15 mins with XR2 by this guy:

 

[Kyle]

I wanted to use a realistic spacecraft, so I decided to go with the Dragon. It really ate into my fuel, I only had 29.18% of my fuel left by the time I reached the ISS -- but it took me 2 hours and 29 minutes to reach the 400m point to the ISS. That's not my shortest time for a "realistic" rendezvous, but it is the shortest time it's taken me to use a currently existing spacecraft to the ISS. My shortest ever rendezvous was around 28 minutes using the DeltaGlider, launched one then launched another one to chase up with it, both from KSC.

 

[dgatsoulis]

I had an XR2 flight with 9 minutes 40 seconds, posted here.

That record was recently completely demolished by this guy.

7:37 is going to be pretty difficult to beat.

 

[Cras]

not sure what mine is. probably 30 minutes or so, using the direct ascent function in Launch MFD.

Otherwise, I often get the XR-2 up to a station in LEO in a couple of hours, never tried really to go as fast as to get there in under 10 minutes.

 

[Mojave]

I got a DGIV to the ISS in just about two hours. Things worked out that way, wasn't planned. The crew was happy.

 

[mvronsky]

I somehow got a CTV-LEO to the ISS in about 1 orbit...
Wasn't planning it but worked out that way

 

[Staiduk]

Shuttle Fleet 4.8: 21 minutes from launch to dock; plus a week or so playing with the start time on the STS-14 mission until I was able to burn directly to the station. It's actually too fast; I have no time to OBSS the belly or set up the Canadarm's preset positions.

 

[Linguofreak]

I had an XR2 flight with 9 minutes 40 seconds, posted here.

That record was recently completely demolished by this guy.

The really impressive part is the last 150 meters before docking. The way he did the launch is pretty much what you have to do for any docking in less than an orbit, and I've done that part myself and it's not really that challenging to fly once you've watched a tutorial (though I'll certainly tip my hat to whoever it was that first worked out the procedure :tiphat. But nailing a docking after an approach as brisk as he took is downright *impressive*. I always took things much slower than that.

 

[Keatah]

My best time is under10 minutes, I recall that. Whether I beat this 7:37 time I don't recall.

My approach to the docking port was at a much sharper angle and was only aligned at the last few seconds. Whereas this guy lined up some distance away and then came in.

I'll have to try again and make a vid.

 

[Enjo]

All these vids share a common feature: suspicion of scenario editing

 

[Disconnect]

2 hours and 10 min, with Soyuz TMA, with direct orbit insertion. It was not intentional, just incidentally i've reached the orbit very close to ISS.

 

[Ballisto]

28m14s DGIV Hover launch from KSC Pad 07 using PROSPEC904 and UAP.

Can probably shave ten minutes off or so doing manual ascent.

Ballisto

 

[Col Brubaker]

I managed Skylab 4 within 35-40 minutes, by sheer surprise.
But 7:37 is rough by negative g-forces!