Ascension Mk1 Flight 11 (Fin & PLF Flight Test)

[L-4h40m] Flight Director Lanalye has assembled her B team for their final mission brief. The Mk7-A has been modified from original spec to remove the chute and instead carry an additional payload within a new fairing shell that we plan to also use on Ascension rockets

ignition and LIFT OFF!! 3.6Gs of force pushes the rocket clear of the VAB's shadow as it tips over, clearing the towers and aiming downrange along a heading of 45.5°. 35s from now will see MECO-1 and stage separation followed by a coast phase up to 15km before MES-2

while a lot of work remains in the investigation, all parties involved feel a point has been reached where we can release a statement not only on the events of this past week but the events of the past few years that led up to this brazen attack: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9965

TL;DR - a sect of violent Monolithic followers remains set against our space-bound ambitions even after being secretly banished to the other side of the planet by religious leaders, where they happened upon a large unknown population of kerbs receptive to "salvation"

the radome has been completed on the tall hills west of KSC and will be hooked up to the Tracking Station by tomorrow, which means we can return to KSC next week! Due to security, it's tough working remotely for engineering and R&D teams w/o full file access

launch pad resurfacing was completed last week to allow work on the service structures to now begin. Further back from the pad, the crew tower has already seen repairs to the minor damage it suffered and we look forward to finally using it in 2020!

Lead Engineer Simon reports work in the VAB is ramping up well coming back from the break, with final checks being performed on the next Ascension Mk1 payload before it is encapsulated in the first set of 1.25m payload fairings set to be flown hopefully later this month

behind the payload workers are busy getting the old static fins off the future Mk2 tank to be replaced with actuating fins, which will also be tested on the next Mk1, which is off-image to the right at "center stage" for final tank/engine/fin integration checks

up until now the crew service tower has also acted as a lightning rod but the Ascension Mk2 can rise taller so rods have been installed around the pad to protect it from any hazardous weather. Yes, they are also sunk several meters into the ground & will stop an aircraft

the Ascension Mk1 began its trip to the launch pad a short while ago to be mounted, seen here rolling out of the shadow of the VAB as we approach 2nd sunset. By the time the sun rises again it will be vertical and undergoing final launch readiness checks

good reports in from down-range tracking stations at Sheltered Rock and Ockr, which don't actually actively track the spacecraft but allow for relay of telemetry that allows us to continue to monitor its progress during flight once it flies over the horizon from KSC

SkyWatch team has confirmed our ground-based radar system that provides 360° coverage of KSC airspace along with coverage of the waters east of KSC is functioning nominally to ensure no sea or air-based incursions present a possible hazard to launch procedures

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

1/21
#2🌅07:05:45 🌄10:56:14
#3🌅13:06:36 !!🚀!! 🌄16:57:05
#4🌅19:07:27 🌄22:57:56

1/22
#1🌅01:08:18 🌄04:58:47

our new tighter launch commit criteria extends to launch procedures as well, as in we will not even start them w/o good indication of acceptable weather later in the day. Balloon is already on its way up to give meteorologists data to determine if countdown will begin @ 14:27 UTC

launch has been delayed 6hrs due to upper-level winds & the threat of a low-pressure system encroaching from out at sea carrying thick cloud cover over the KSC. We will launch another balloon to determine if conditions have improved to begin countdown @ 20:27 UTC

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

1/22
#2🌅07:09:09 🌄10:59:38
#3🌅13:10:00 !!🚀!! 🌄17:00:29
#4🌅19:10:51 🌄23:01:20

1/23
#1🌅01:11:42 🌄05:02:11

[L-4h10m] weather balloon that was released earlier today has returned data that meteorologists have used in their updated forecast which predicts 90% favorable launch conditions at the surface. That is a GO for launch controllers to get on console & begin prep for prelaunch ops

[L-3h40m] all of Flight Director Lanalye's launch team A are assembled & ready, now going through the final pre-flight briefing. Mission profile will simulate a Mk2 ascent, tasking the Mk1 to fly the same trajectory that has already been simulated to place a Mk2 into orbit

in addition to flying the same pitch profile, the Mk1 also has to throttle to match velocity of the slower & heavier Mk2. If it didn't do this, the faster speed would increase airflow and thus control authority, making it harder to determine if Mk2 could then follow suit

the slower ascent also means the final trajectory is reasonable - at full throttle this ascent would send the Mk1 halfway to Mun!! This would place it out of radio range, unsure of its impact location. Instead it will fall around Sheltered Rock to perform another RTG impact test

more details on the Mk2 orbital path colors from our Ops Director earlier this month: twitter.com/DKerman_KSA/st…

[L-3h10m] launch controllers are moving into preflight operations as the ground crews on the launch pad receive the tanker truck. Operations code will soon be onloaded to the rocket's flight controller, which can be reviewed here bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog

[L-2h55m] rocket has been initialized & configured for fueling. Crews on the pad have been given the GO by controllers to begin onloading 7t of liquid propellants, then clearing out to a safe distance for the duration of tanking operations. Check out the new pad lights!

[L-2h40m] tanking has wrapped up on schedule, with crews already getting the truck unhooked and controllers continuing with their preflight operations while keeping a close eye on tank levels to ensure there are no minor leaks in the fuel system

[L-1h55m] preliminary pre-flight has been completed without issue, leaving only the engine & ignition systems left to look at. For crew safety the pad is being evacuated ahead of these final checks

[L-1h30m] rocket is healthy & prepped for flight! Issues board remains clear, now to ensure airspace & waters around KSC will remain clear for launch as well. SkyWatch is currently tracking no bogeys on course for KSC but will remain vigilant while ground crews close out the pad

to be clear, boats, aircraft and airship all exist in the area, but they are all staying outside our exclusion zone and they are all operating on registered route plans. A "bogey" would be any object of unknown nature, not just on track towards KSC

[L-1h20m] off on the water our small utility boat has released another weather balloon, which will reach the upper-atmosphere just prior to L-5min polls to give us an update on upper-level wind conditions. With tightened constraints, they need to be calmer than usual

[L-45m] pad is locked down, crews standing by in case any new issues pop up in the launch rehearsal that is about to get underway. Crowds are starting to gather outside as more kerbs are bused over from the Support Village. Astronaut Complex mess hall closes in 20min!

[L-30m] 🎵 It's the final countdown... 🎶 we are still unsure of upper-atmospheric conditions but surface conditions are forecast to remain green for launch the remainder of the day cycle, so in the event of a scrub due to upper-level winds we will have the chance to wait it out

[L-15m] Range Safety Officer has closed the range, pad crews have cleared out. Flight Termination System is ACTIVE, engine is ARMED. All kerbs must remain inside designated spectator areas & remember hearing protection while outdoors for launch is REQUIRED

[L-13m] nitrogen gas is being onloaded from a small tanker left hooked to the service towers, which is used to keep the fuel tanks pressurized. This is done late in the countdown while the pad is permanently cleared of all crew to prevent any injury in the event of a tank rupture

this flight is operating under extremely tight tolerances for various aspects. If you see any yellow or red flashing telemetry values during the ascent, these are the constraints the rocket will be operating under. Values are trigger thresholds

[L-5m] upper-level wind conditions are green!! Final polls passed - Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Payload: GO! Ops Director @DKerman_KSA: Launch permission granted! 🚀GO ASCENSION🚀 FTS power internal, service tower boom unlocked for retraction, AFCS rdy for terminal count

[L-3m] tank pressurization has begun to strengthen it & allow the rocket to stand rigid atop the launch clamp after the service structure has been swung away and the rocket is at the mercy of surface winds, which have just started gusting

[L-2m] we are now in the terminal count where the Automated Flight Control System takes full control to perform the final sequence leading up to launch. Rocket is switched over to internal power & RF comms with the detachment of the service arm. Final checks underway

[L-1m] make sure to tune in to the Ops Tracker for live ascent telemetry! ops.kerbalspace.agency it will come up after final L-30s polls if we are still GO. Past that, these are the final steps leading up to launch

engine start good, launch thrust nominal - we have LIFT OFF!! The 11th Ascension Mk1 begins its ascent to pave the way to orbit for the Ascension Mk2. Throttle program will kick in once it clears the tower and begins to increase its pitch over downrange

some serious steering corrections early even before launch likely from gusting winds but rocket is now stable, through Max Q and has achieved supersonic velocity. Throttle program running as programmed to keep speed in check. Course is back on track & pitch nominal

past Mach 1.3 rocket picked up roll shake that has eased but continues thru 2nd min of flight. Rocket wobble seems to be having an effect on pitch control. Significant heating has built up at the nose but this was expected & should ease after passing through 40km in a few seconds

MECO @ 45km along w/ separation of the payload fairings. Rocket managed to orient and hold prograde even as the atmosphere continues to rapidly thin. Apokee was just over 80km at MECO but will degrade ever so slightly as rocket coasts out of atmo & still encounters drag

already only 20s from apokee, updated plot of the rocket's trajectory shows it on a shallower path, despite final apokee almost spot-on with LVD planning, with re-entry further downrange in a lower area, which is not ideal since it gives RTG more time to slow down

less than a minute to atmospheric re-entry. At apokee after fuel tank purge the RTG, probe core, batteries & antenna were separated from the lift stage as planned so its large drag doesn't slow things down further. The antenna will most likely burn off during re-entry

we have failed to regain contact with the payload after plasma blackout, as expected. Ground controllers are already using the last-received data to give our airship charter a smaller box of coordinates to search for the impacted RTG, the only part that will be recovered

post-launch operations are wrapping up while we await word from the airship, which is just now nearing the search area. The beacon within the RTG casing has 12 hours of battery power but they need to be within 2km to pick it up. The hunt begins!

airship is on its way back to Sheltered Rock after locating and recovering the RTG casing - ✨🎉 KERZZAH!! 🎊✨ we should hear by next month how it endured its ballistic return from space. Perhaps sooner we'll also get a full report on the performance of this flight

here's a look at the rough ride the rocket endured passing the transonic regime (+1 Mach), which lasted to some degree all the way through to MECO. This "roll shake" has been experienced to various extents in past flights and is still something we are trying to understand

careful analysis has revealed the Mk1 lifter fins are indeed capable of flying the rocket on an orbital trajectory. You can read for yourself or just take our word for it: kerbalspace.agency/?p=10380 Regardless - Ascension Mk2 launch date coming soon!!