The Apollo Docking System

The Apollo program introduced a highly sophisticated mechanical docking system that involved a capture ring and latches.

- 

The Apollo spacecraft were equipped with a docking probe and drogue mechanism that helped the spacecraft align with the docking port.

Docking one spacecraft with another is a delicate dance, requiring a series of tried and tested, extremely precise maneuvers. One slip can result in mission failure, danger to crew and craft, and an obstacle to space tech development.

Autonomous docking allows spacecraft to dock without human intervention, thus significantly increasing mission efficiency and safety. This capability is particularly important in deep space missions, where astronauts may be unavailable to manually control the docking process. Therefore, docking without a human in the pilot's seat is incredibly tricky. While autonomous or automatic space docking may pose lesser danger to human life, it still ticks all the other boxes of complexity. This is possible in Earth orbit, but if engineers want to build truly self-driving autonomous spacecraft capable of docking procedures, they will need to give them the capacity to actually plan out their own docking maneuvers. Most of today's spacecraft simply lack that ability.