I did this on accident during a run, and re-created it during this run.

I have yet to test it, but I have 2 thoughts.

1. The target zone exists on the screen already, and hitting it at all is what's required to dock with the satellite. Perhaps the spinning satellite lays over the zone, and colliding into it results in a death. In this interpretation, in theory one should be able to access the zone provided the plane is positioned in the appropriate coordinate. However, it would appear that this has to be done before the satellite fully loads on screen.

2. The target zone exists, but is limited to the boundary placed on it by the spinning rectangular hole in the middle of the satellite. You'll notice in the clip that my plane is in sync with the satellite's center. Perhaps the zone loads in a spinning state, parallel to the animation of the hole itself. In this interpretation the game expects you to maneuver through the superficial overlay (the spinning satellite), but the zone itself already exists. All that would be required, then, is to know the pattern of the spinning, and match that with the timing of pressing the button to dock.

Any thoughts, skyhawks?

This is a great find!

I was testing the idea that you could actually quick dock the moment the satellite's dock is visible on the screen (at the top of the screen) but ultimately failed. I just figured the alignment was always off. Seeing your clip and considering what you describe I think there is more about it being on the screen already. Not sure exactly how but I will have to test as well.

Mm, yeah, I have tried that before too, but also just figured the alignment was off.

Yeah I also want to test this some more! I might do some tonight.

Alright, I did some testing a bit today, though not extensively. During my stream I tried doing this before every mission, but it wasn't until before Mission 3 (I believe) that I was able to do it at all. I will try again soon and be more precise about when I'm able to pull it off.

For now, in my latest run I was able to perform the early dock before Mission 5, 6, and 7. I try it before Mission 8 but die (on PB pace, of course). If we assume that the trick is able to be performed during every satellite docking, then the fact that I've been unable to do it successfully during Mission 1 and 2 (for example) makes me suspicious. Obviously it could just be that my timing's off, but it feels different to me. I wonder if the trick only works during certain missions for some reason? Some kind of programming oversight?

Speculation aside, so far I am only able to do this on certain missions. More testing to follow.

I've been testing it out during my runs, and it seems to be a timing thing. I've been able to replicate it during each Mission, though my best consistency is 4/7. I was scrambling around for a visual cue other than "aim for the center" and my first idea is this.

https://imgur.com/a/qCpCcfs

The red circle marks where I stop the plane and dock, and also aligns with where the satellite center is. Other than this, my only thought is that you simply have to get used to the timing for when to press the button.

I had also figured that your plane could only make the early dock by avoiding colliding into the satellite, but this video suggests otherwise?

Still testing.