Progeny Mk7-B Flight 2

rocket has started its 1.317km trip out to the pad from the HAB, just about twice as long a drive from the VAB although it will take almost 3x as long because the road to the pad from the HAB is very much not a straight line...

flight analysis report on the first progeny Mk7-B launch has been published: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11203 TL;DR - we might hot-fire 2nd stage this next flight to get higher apokee & guidance control tweaked to hopefully lessen roll-shake on initial ascent

all system checks going well and wet dress rehearsal was good. Control system problems from the last launch have been fully eradicated and GSE is performing well. As before, rocket will remain tanked for condensed pre-launch procedures tomorrow

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

8/26
#2🌅07:25:11 🌄11:15:41
#3🌅13:26:02 !!🚀!! 🌄17:16:32
#4🌅19:26:53 🌄23:17:23

8/27
#1🌅01:27:44 🌄05:18:14

surface conditions and upper-level conditions are not favorable for launch this day cycle. We will delay the mission until later today and make a second attempt. If weather conditions improve, pre-launch operations will begin @ 19:27 UTC. Fingers crossed!

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

8/27
#2🌅07:28:35 🌄11:19:05
#3🌅13:29:26 !!🚀!! 🌄17:19:56
#4🌅19:30:17 🌄23:20:47

8/28
#1🌅01:31:08 🌄05:21:38

weather continues to look promising, with perfectly clear skies as 2nd sunrise approaches. Pad is quiet for now. Jool and Sarnus are still visible in the early dawn light. We are just hoping conditions in the upper atmosphere have improved as trends yesterday suggested

[L-4h45m] weather desk has given the GO to begin prelaunch procedures! Upper-level winds are still a bit strong but in line with what we expected from yesterday's data. If needed we can hold count but chances are considered good. Here is today's launch timeline

[L-4h15m] mission briefing underway at Launch Control as Flight Director Lanalye gathers her B team. We refer to last launch's material because this mission will not be much different, other than the potential to hot-stage instead of coast after BECO twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

the immediate ignition of the Ospray engine after BECO will be dependent on how well the rocket handles supersonic flight. If it gets all "wibbly wobbly" again staging will be delayed until control oscillations die down, but likely still prior to 25km in this case

[L-3h45m] controllers are on console to wake the rocket, load flight software & begin system checks. Pad crew is out @ the rocket to ensure all ground service equipment is still properly hooked up, physical flight safeties are removed, etc. Software update bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog

[L-2h40m] no issues raised during the first phase of preflight, pad workers have secured the rocket & are pulling back so controllers can run engine systems & ignition checks. The rocket of course is *not* supposed to ignite during this process but always better safe than sorry

[L-1h30m] Rocket is checked out and ready to go! We've gotten relayed messages from MSV Aldeny that sea conditions are moderate but still favorable for 2nd stage recovery out in the Kerblantic. Just offshore here at KSC seas are calm for first stage recovery

[L-1h20m] surface conditions remain calm, but we need to take another look at upper-level conditions as they can change rapidly. High-altitude KerBalloon has just been released to begin its ascent and be above 18km prior to final general polls at L-5min for Wx data analysis

[L-45m] all systems & controllers report ready, launch rehearsal is now underway to ensure this is indeed the case. We take the rocket data stream offline and use simulated flight inputs to run the launch consoles so any unforeseen setup issues are caught prior to launch

[L-30m] while we used to just literally poke our heads outside to check the weather, now we have a trained meteorologist (Katgan) and weather station feeding us data. Surface conditions remain green! Final countdown procedures are GO. Any scrub backs us up to at least this point

[L-15m] Range Safety Officer has shut down the launch site, ascent corridor & booster splashdown zone. Rocket ignition system is ARMED & Flight Termination System is ACTIVE. All visitors must remain within designated areas or feel the ire of your peers for making us hold count

[L-5m] we have favorable upper-level conditions and all stations report they are 🚀 GO for launch! 🚀 @DKerman_KSA popped two thumbs up into the air from his console & launch approval has thus been granted. Then FD Lanalye made him state it for the record. FTS on internal power

guidance constraints are the same as last mission, fairly loose since we're not targeting a specific landing location or anything like that. We're basically just hoping it stays close to expected course. If not, Ops Tracker telemetry will flash for being outside these values

[T-2m] we have entered the Terminal Count, led by the Automated Flight Control System. Service boom has swung away, leaving rocket on internal power & RF comms. Support legs remain to hold it steady against any sudden wind gusts, but conditions remain calm

[T-1m] battery drain rates good, comm data rates good, telemetry checks good, all looking good leading up to final primary polls at L-30s, after which if GO Ops Tracker will reload to prepare to stream ascent data. Tune in now! ops.kerbalspace.agency/?vessel=progen…

booster ignition and LIFT OFF!! The 2nd Progeny Mk7-B leaps from the engine clamp at 3G, thrust will peak at 74kN 5s after launch then taper off as rocket ascends. Guidance has kicked in immediately to begin pitching the rocket downrange direct east. Gooooooo Progeny!!

rocket had some odd issues determining which fins did what during 1st stage ascent & guidance seemed to kick in late, however flight did appear stable at BECO so staging for MES-1 was commanded shortly afterwards and oh no now the rocket is tumbling. Can the TVC save it??

half a flip backwards, half a flip forwards and the rocket was actually able to recover itself! After MECO-1 however it was unable to maintain attitude still in air too thick for reaction wheels and is now back to tumbling as it coasts upwards into space

maybe just enough fuel remains for engine restart but it will not significantly raise apokee so we are instead doing more work with the reaction wheel system during the brief period we have above the atmosphere. Apokee already only a few seconds away now

reaction wheels responding well to pointing commands, rocket has now been oriented retrograde and we've reached the top of the atmosphere. The ascent tumbling would have stressed out the rocket so here's hoping re-entry is kinder than last time

we lost the rocket over the horizon before any recovery measures deployed but we do know it survived plasma blackout & was still pointing along its velocity vector so no undue stress. Unless we suffer a chute failure it should be coming down okay. Waiting on word from the Aldeny

another good recovery was made of the 1st stage booster, seen here floating 6km downrange prior to being hooked up for a tow. When it gets back to shore it will be loaded up onto a truck & then a stop at the VAB to prep for shipping via rail to Umbarg for post-flight inspection

post-launch ops are wrapping up. MSV Aldeny is still making for the new recovery zone ~100km west of its original station so that's about 3 hours which means they should arrive in the area shortly to begin searching for the second stage. When we know - you'll know!

from the beach south of KSC, yesterday's Progeny MK7-B arcs towards space, marked by the smoke trail of its lower stage SRB, sailing past Mun and Minmus. Now imagine 4 of these engines and that's what an Ascension Mk3 launch will look like next year!

rocket was returned to us earlier today and has begun post-flight inspection. Looks like we still have more fault tolerance work to do with the flight computer but although tlm logging was interrupted general execution was not, so that's better. Tlm data: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

tracking camera footage from last week's flight picking up at L+16s just as the rocket began to have trouble pitching over more. We can now confirm it was an actuator problem with one fin. This led to an off-nominal attitude hold at staging & TVC over-correction after ignition

nothing too deep about the last Progeny Mk7-B flight needed for this analysis - kerbalspace.agency/?p=11293 - we've made the necessary adjustments and next week's mission now has the best chance so far of being fully successful at last