Progeny Mk6 Block I Flight 8 (Mystery Goo Study Attempt 2)

we are suspending all surface operations and pulling back all staff to Umbarg HQ due to temperatures increasing near 100°F as a high-pressure system sits over our region. We just can't keep our facilities cool enough in this heat for a proper work environment

this has happened before & after much investigation scientists still don't fully understand what's going on but say a mixture of ocean currents, jet stream bending and moisture levels in the air can apparently combine under the right conditions to form a very localized heat wave

KSC has weathered the storms and we'll be moving operations back to the campus today. We will have updates throughout the day on new dates for the various missions that were put on hold as staff get re-situated and back on track

meeting of Progenitor team, Lead Engineer Simon & Flight Director Lanalye has concluded and the next Progeny Mk6 flight has been delayed until we know for sure what went wrong with this one. Because return of the biological samples was required, this is the 1st failed Mk6 mission

from roughly 30 meters below the Monolith researchers continue to carefully bore up into the crystalline structure they hope leads into the edifice itself. They have nearly reached the bottom and have slowed down to ensure they aren't damaging or triggering anything in the way

hello from KSA HQ in Umbarg! Just calling out to let everyone know we are okay - electrical services are gradually coming back online in all caverns here, but KSC remains off limits until a team sent out yesterday to assess the Monolith's new activity has returned

we will release more information on the current situation once we have a better idea what we are dealing with; the past two days have mainly been working to recover basic infrastructure & ensure all our injured employees are being taken care of

website and Ops Tracker are now back online as electrical services here in Umbarg become more stable. Still no word from the team dispatched to KSC, but they are not overdue unless they fail to return or get in contact with us by later today

surface team has returned, reports there is a consistent EM field over KSC, tho they found it has a radius of 10km in all directions (assumed out over the water as well) & is not specifically directed @ the space center. Generated current is strong enough to still fry electronics

after much debris analysis, flight modeling and design reviews - the flight analysis report for the recent Progeny Mk6-I launch is now available: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8032

🚀 we have launch dates for January!! 🚀

Progeny Mk6 Block I: 1/15 @ 15:53 UTC
Ascension Mk1 Block I: 1/23 @ 22:21 UTC
Progeny Mk6 Block II: 1/31 @ 16:47 UTC

Lead Engineer Simon is happy to report that the Progeny Mk6-I set for launch next week has completed final integration in the VAB today. It will be rolled out on Monday after checks and maintenance are wrapped up on the pad, ensuring it is ready after not being used in so long

2nd sunrise has brought daylight and ground crews are trucking the launch base back out to the pad after it was checked over in the VAB last week. Assuming all the hookups go well it will receive the rocket later today after 3rd sunrise

launch base and launch pad have zero issues according to Lead Engineer Simon. Rocket is now on its way out to be mounted. Weather is looking pretty poor right now. Hopefully we will have a better forecast from the weather team later today

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

1/15
#2🌄07:57:23 🌅10:07:45
#3🌄13:58:14 🌅16:08:36 ??🚀??
#4🌄19:59:05 🌅22:09:27

1/16
#1🌄01:59:56 🌅04:10:18

MSV Hoodall arrived yesterday to support today's launch, but since it has been delayed Hoodall will be taking the Ascension capsule out for its first sea trial this day cycle. Similar to tests last year, it will be dropped from 16km and recovered after splashdown

weather forecast from yesterday has held mostly true - winds are not as bad as expected but rain has arrived. Lightning also seen in the area. We will postpone launch again until tomorrow @ 15:56 UTC. Forecast is still 60% chance of violation so fingers crossed!

greetings space fans! The time has come for us to once again attempt a rocket launch!! It's been over 5 months since our last launch, which was the same mission that we will be attempting again today. You can recap it here: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8032

[L-4h10m] launch preparations have officially begun. All launch support staff - flight controllers, ground crews, security, etc - are onsite and making ready. You can expect updates from us at these major milestones in the launch timeline:

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

1/16
#2🌄08:00:47 🌅10:11:09 !!🚀!!
#3🌄14:01:38 🌅16:12:00
#4🌄20:02:29 🌅22:12:51

1/17
#1🌄02:03:20 🌅04:13:42

[L-3h40m] weather forecast is still being put together from regional sources (airships, maritime vessels, ground stations) and now that all flight controllers have completed their personal setup tasks Flight Director Lanalye has gathered them for mission briefing

today's launch will follow a standard Mk6-I mission profile. As with the previous attempt, we will be exposing the onboard goo samples to separate regions of space, both below and inside the radiation belt

the previous launch showed no significant deviation using the two containment units in place of a second payload rack thanks to the similar mass. The only problem was possibly being unable to withstand re-entry stress/heat. These upgraded units should be more capable

[L-3h10m] weather forecast is GO to begin preflight! Surface winds will be closely monitored but should remain below limits. Ground crew moving out to the pad, launch controllers are waking up the rocket and beginning onload of flight program

our flight computer software saw a significant upgrade during our downtime late last year, you can check out the details on the Github page bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog which includes changes to the current mission operational code as well

[L-2h55m] rocket is woke and system checks are underway. Meanwhile it has also been configured to begin tanking, crews on the pad have the GO to start loading up 109kg of liquid propellants to the third stage. Sunset has just faded below the horizon, bringing out the night sky

[L-2h40m] fueling has wrapped up on schedule, both trucks have left the pad to allow the ground crew to clean up and secure the rocket. Tank levels will be monitored the remainder of preflight to ensure the fuel system has no leaks

tickets sold out to this launch, a first for the Progeny Mk6 but not surprising given its been so long since the last launch. First-come, first-serve areas still have plenty of room though. Please stay within designated spectator areas for your own safety!

[L-1h55m] pad evacuation is underway, minus the brave few sheltering in the nearby bunker in case any problems arise while flight controllers perform engine and ignition testing. The rest of the rocket systems are checked out and nominal

[L-1h30m] rocket is all set, reports FD Lanalye. With preflight complete, MSV Hoodall will now work with the Range Safety Officer to setup for range monitoring while controllers prep for rehearsal. MSV Tongjess set sail yesterday for the recovery zone 300km downrange

[L-1h20m] timed to reach the upper atmosphere right before final polls, a high-altitude KerBalloon has been released to begin its ascent to check on wind conditions above 18km. Strong winds or evidence of shear could pose a threat to launch

[L-45m] preparations continue on track. Pad has been secured and completely evacuated. Hoodall is in position for range monitoring, reports no sign of activity in the area. Launch team now performing final rehearsal to ensure all systems are properly configured

[L-30m] we are GO for final countdown! Weather remains within limits from here on the ground, tho winds could pick up more as we get closer to sunrise. Balloon ascent remains nominal. Anticipation... increasing...

[L-15m] RSO has closed all access to the launch pad and downrange areas - any violation will hold the count. Rocket's Flight Termination System has been brought online and boosters are ARMED for ignition. Sunrise was a few mins ago, taken from outside Launch Control

issues board remains clear, mostly a pensive silence in Launch Control as controllers carry out final checks possible now that booster engines are armed. Quiet is good! Team is ready, Lanalye will conduct the final general polls at L-5min

[L-5m] final readiness polls: Wx: GO; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 FTS is transitioning to internal power, flight computer is confirmed ready to initiate terminal countdown at L-2min

[T-2m] Terminal count! AFCS has taken over control of the rocket to perform the final steps leading up to launch. All ground connections have been retracted and the rocket is on internal power. Battery drain rate is nominal, RF comm checks underway

[T-1m] if you haven't already, quick jump over to the Ops Tracker for live updates! We will provide updates to the minute here on twitter but these launches go quick, Ops Tracker provides updates to the second: ops.kerbalspace.agency

LIFTOFF!! Lower booster has ignited to push the rocket off the pad at 4Gs with 67kN of thrust. It will expire after 34 seconds, pushing the rocket up to >15km at speeds >600m/s. 2nd stage will coast until nose drops 1.5° before continuing powered ascent

nominal ascent so far, with staging going as planned. Final boost has just gotten started - already our apokee is outside the atmosphere and the rocket itself is not far behind, currently passing through 32km and nearly 900m/s

and after just 1m29s we are back in space! We have about 8.5 minutes until 507km apokee. Bottom goo containment unit has already opened its doors to expose the sample. Hoodall is still tracking the 1st & 2nd stage boosters as they fall back to the Kerblantic

goo containment units have swapped - bottom one closed, top one open - as we passed through 350km, which is aroundabouts where the radiation belt begins. We don't have a radiation detector onboard (needed the room for batteries) so we are using data from past launches

we've passed through apokee, our highest point on the sub-orbital trajectory. Rocket is now beginning to fall back towards the atmosphere, which it will slam into at >2km/s in about 10 minutes. Top goo unit will remain exposed until we are back out of the radiation belt

top goo unit has cycled closed & we have confirmation it is locked. Lower goo unit open again until we near the atmosphere. Rocket has remained stable, oriented engine-down for a proper re-entry. Rocket will reach the upper bounds of the atmosphere in ~3min

we had confirmation of door lock on the bottom goo canister prior to atmospheric interface @ +19m13s. Plasma blackout has occurred and we will not regain comms before the rocket drops below the horizon. Post-launch ops are continuing and we will await word from MSV Tongjess

rocket took a more vertical ascent than we anticipated, last known position was only 209km downrange. Tongjess would have known this soon after it picked up the rocket over the horizon and would already be moving closer but will still take ~1.5hrs to reach the area

assuming a good splashdown, there is no reason the rocket should not still be floating on the surface with a good locator beacon by the time Tongjess arrives, although they also should have still been within line of sight as it fell (under chute?) to have a good location fix

post-launch ops wrapping up, launch base inspection shows significant damage to the top rail. This is likely the cause of our abnormal ascent although launch footage and telemetry data will need to be reviewed first. Hoodall has returned KerBalloon recovered at sea

Tongjess should by now have reached the rocket's location and begun recovery operations. After that it is ~3hours of sailing to get within comm range unless they can skip a signal off the upper atmosphere from over the horizon. That depends on conditions up there. We wait...

news at last!! Unfortunately, although they spent almost an hour searching the area, MSV Tongjess reports no sign of the rocket or its signal was found. If it did submerge at some point after landing, it could have easily sunk below crush depth before Tongjess arrived

however the news isn't all bad! Tongjess did regain communication with the rocket after plasma blackout and has log recordings of it deploying chute, although full deployment and splashdown occurred just below the horizon

here is the data the Progenitor team will be looking over these next few days to assess yesterday's flight and see if they can determine what happened to the rocket. We expect an analysis to be posted next week docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

flight analysis has been posted for last week's launch: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8370 - no cause was found to postpone the follow-up mission, which will be heading up on 2/7 @ 17:10 UTC! ops.kerbalspace.agency