I always blew up every time I tried to dock with a space station.
Behemoths and Hermits were ok, though.
Eventually, I figured it out: rotate the ship to keep the slot axis vertical, rather than horizontal!
Useful safety tip there!

PS. Been trying out quite a few different ships of late, but have to say I'm not too keen on the ones with big 'bonnets' sticking out the front, or engine plumes in the centre of the rear view.