The Rendezvous in Space, or It Worked!:

Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M., achieved a space milestone when a 220-pound microsatellite came as close as 500 meters of the upper stage of a Minotaur I launch vehicle. The event bodes well for servicing, repairing, and resupplying space vehicles in the future. The Air Force launched Experimental Satellite System-11 microsat in April 2005 on a 12-to 18-month mission to test its ability to rendezvous and perform proximity maneuvers with several dead or inactive US spacecraft. According to program manager Harold Baker, XSS-11 has been “performing better than expected.” He said it shows good fuel efficiency and there have been no “significant technical glitches.”