Progeny Mk6 Block I Flight 6 (Radiation Field Study 7)

behold our first photo from space! Booster cam is capturing video but we don't have enough power to spare to beam that back so it will send us still images instead at preset points along the trajectory. First one is from 80km, looking back down towards KSC

launch crews and controllers are working hard to get things turned around and ready for the Progeny MK6 Block I launch tomorrow. We've had shorter times between launches before but never for two completely different vehicles, which adds some logistical challenges

the Progeny Mk6 Block I rocket has made it out to the pad and been attached to the launch base. Crews are finalizing hookups and launch controllers are standing by to do a test of onboard systems

all is ready for tomorrow's launch and Ops Director @DKerman_KSA has signed off - 🚀 GO PROGENY!! 🚀 pre-launch ops will kick off at 16:41 UTC. You can learn more about the rocket and its mission on our Ops Tracker - ops.kerbalspace.agency/?vessel=progen…

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

7/20
#2🌄09:40:17 🌅12:00:50
#3🌄15:41:08 !!🚀!! 🌅18:01:41
#4🌄21:41:59

7/21
#1🌅00:02:32 🌄03:42:50
#2🌅06:03:23

a reminder to all coming to see today's launch, which is looking to be many, we suggest you arrive 1-2 hours early as the high volume plus our increased security protocols will make shuttling kerbs across the causeway take longer than usual

[L-4h10m] time to get ready for launch. The day cycle has just begun and night will arrive once more by the time we are ready to lift off - as planned! Weather reports are being gathered and the remainder of the timeline is as usual - expect updates at these major milestones

[L-3h40m] Flight Director Lanalye is gathering her team of launch controllers to get everyone briefed and ready to go. Slight alteration from normal flight plan graphic to remove deploy heights for airbrakes & parachute

both deployments are now more dynamic - parachute will now deploy either below 1.5km or even sooner if it detects speed has dropped low enough to be safe. Airbrakes will begin to deploy once they have detected dynamic pressure has begun to drop during re-entry

[L-3h10m] we are GO from the Wx team to begin preflight ops. Rocket is being woken to load up the flight software while pad crews prep the service towers for fueling. You can see the details for the latest Automated Flight Control System update here: bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog

[L-2h55m] fueling crews have a GO from FD Lanalye to hook up and begin pumping 109kg of propellants into the third stage. All other pad & preflight operations are suspended during this time to ensure as safe an environment as possible for fuel crews

[L-2h40m] no issues during fueling, rocket is topped off and tankers have cleared the pad so crews can move back in to secure the service towers while launch controllers continue system checks and monitor the tank levels for any leaks in the fuel system

we expect record crowds today & already the ticketed area has been sold out as of this week. Non-ticketed areas are 1st-come 1st-serve. If they fill up you can still watch from KSC Village rooftops. Regardless of where you are, stay within designated viewing areas at all times!!

[L-1h55m] fuel levels holding, rocket is fully checked out except for the engine control and ignition systems - launch pad is clearing of crew except for a quick response team in the nearby bunker so these last systems can be looked over & accidental ignition harms no one

[L-1h30m] FD Lanalye is happy to report we have a healthy rocket ready to go! Prelaunch ops now moving to external phase as MSV Lymun, which arrived on station a short while ago, works with the Range Safety Officer to secure the ascent corridor - direct east today

[L-1h20m] high-altitude KerBalloon has been released out west in the Grasslands to ascend to the upper-atmosphere (>18km) and give us readings on upper-level wind conditions to detect any shear that could impact (literally!) the rocket on ascent

[L-45m] rehearsal time. With all assets in place and systems setup, launch team runs through a simulated launch based on data from previous flights to ensure everything is configured properly

[L-30m] it is inky black out there with no Mun in the sky, but the sky itself is looking perfectly clear. Surface winds are well within limits and we will have a upper-level wind determination during final polling. We are GO to continue into final countdown operations!

[L-15m] RSO has confirmed range is clear, pad is clear and rocket is now ARMED for ignition. Flight Termination System is ACTIVE and any incursions within 300m of the launch pad or into the launch corridor will hold the count

we are aiming to launch in the middle of the night cycle, so our window to launch is more restricted than normal. If we have to hold for any reason we will scrub after only 15 minutes and reset for an attempt next night cycle

[L-5m] Final readiness polls complete: Wx: GO; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 FTS is on internal power. MSV Tongjess left Umbarg earlier today to be on station 300km to the east for downrange tracking and recovery

[T-2m] we have entered the terminal count phase where the AFCS takes over control of the rocket in preparation for ignition and ascent. Hardline connections for power & comms have been pulled back from the launch base. EC drain & RF comms check underway

[T-1m] all is looking well leading up to the final T-30s primary stations poll, after which a hold can still be called if needed all the way up to T-0. Be sure to follow along for planned staging updates via the Ops Tracker! ops.kerbalspace.agency/?vessel=progen…

we have booster ignition and lift off! Rocket has zipped out of the lights and is just a tail of fire streaking up into the night sky. Initial ascent looking nominal, good thrust out of the main booster, now tapering off as the rocket continues to climb & accelerate

no issues on ascent, now in the final push for an apokee >500km. Rocket has been lost to the naked eye but those who brought scopes or binocs can still see it easily with as low as 4x magnification. Burn baby, burn!

MECO and coasting to 522km apokee over the next 9 minutes. Rocket is spinning stable and now all eyes are glued to the radiation readout to see when it begins to tick upwards...

~3.5min to apokee, passing through 450km and still no increase in radiation levels. Normally we would have seen an uptick begin around 340km so this is looking like an exciting success for predictions... or we've just missed the region of higher radiation entirely somehow?

rocket has passed through apokee and no sooner had we tweeted that last tweet did the radiation start climbing, reaching its 10.01rad/hr peak! We look forward to discussing the implications of this once the data is studied, but for now focus has turned to recovery operations

rocket is 2min out from atmospheric interface and coming in oriented properly, engine down and standing up straight relative to its motion. It is currently 195km downrange and MSV Tongjess should already have moved off station towards the recovery zone

loss of signal any second now - rocket is plunging through the atmosphere at >2km/s waiting for dynamic pressure to ease, at which point air brakes will deploy *fully* - modeling based on previous re-entry data has shown they can take it. Fingers crossed!

Tracking Station confirms LOS - now we wait for word from MSV Tongjess. At least, should anything disastrous befall the rocket we'll know about it since the recovery ship would have been in radio range the whole time to collect the last bits of telemetry if not the rocket itself

still waiting on word from MSV Tongjess, launch cleanup operations are wrapping up. Here's a look at the initial ascent from a remote camera - near enough to see some detail but far enough to keep rocket in frame for a while youtube.com/watch?v=Uhzm7q…

everyone join us with a big ✨🎊 KERZZAH!! 🎉✨ because the rocket is coming home intact! Tongjess reports they had a bit of trouble retrieving it from rough seas but it landed just fine despite AFCS crashing - thankfully after chute deployment! Rocket splashed 284km downrange

weather remains unsuitable for flight so Deuce mission will have to try again on Monday. It was a slow week, but you can still check out our weekly Ops Summary in case you missed anything: kerbalspace.agency/?p=7811