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History of Rendevous & Proximity Operations in Space
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Original Author
Kaila Pfrang
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Last Updated14 April 2025
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Update AuthorEmily Kunasek
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We'd like your feedback! Please direct any questions,
comments, or corrections to vsamson@swfound.org
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Overview
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The goal of this spreadsheet is to document all rendevous and proxmity operations in space and any orbital debris
created by those activities. Criteria for inclusion in this sheet are:

1) Known RPO conducted via commerical, civil, or military entities for non-aggressive purposes
2) Autonomous & robotic interaction between two or more satellites with low relative velocity

RPO activities involving human spaceflight, such as docking to the International Space Station, were not included in this database. A separate spreadsheet with the history of RPO associated with co-orbital anti-satellite testing can be found here.

Information about RPO tests is compiled from a wide variety of public and open sources. Information about
cataloged debris objects is primarily derived from the public Space Track website maintained by the U.S. military.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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"Getting in Your Space: Learning from Past Rendezvous and Proximity Operations"
- REBECCA REESMAN, ANDREW ROGERS
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Category
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ServicingSatellite servicing, repair and refueling, life extension, debris removal
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IntelligenceSurveillance and intelligence collection
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MilitaryMilitary-funded R&D of dual-use capabilities
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