- Why are the "launch windows" so short for rendezvous missions?
- Missions that rendezvous with the International Space Station, or other
satellites like the Hubble Space Telescope can save fuel (and have more
room for payload) if they wait until the ground track for the spacecraft they
want to rendezvous
with passes overhead. Then they launch into a slightly lower
orbit, and chase down the target. You get the right time to launch twice
a day, but one time will be more optimal than the other (due to climactic
conditions at The Cape), and that's when mission planners will schedule the
flight for. You can also read
A NASA provided
explanation.
