Ascension Mk3 Timeline

meet the radiation belt! Or maybe it's just the *inner* belt? Report has been published detailing what our Progeny rocket missions have discovered about the so-called hazardous radiation region up in space: kerbalspace.agency/?p=7937

new fuel tanks & other parts for 3 add'l Ascension Mk1 missions will be ordered over next few months to cover the flights of Jeb & Bob as well as an unkerbed test flight. This will use up all remaining lift engines by April & unsure at this time if the new engine will be ready

full thrust burn of 37s was completed with all the explosions coming out the proper direction. With a dual-segment the join in the casing was highlighted as a potential fail point of the design. A great first step for the new booster! It will be returned to the VAB for inspection

proposals from Kerbodyne, AEIS, KNES, BDB, NovaPunch & KW Rocketry have all been considered and we have finally chosen to award our new Ascension Mk2/Mk3 engine contract to the KW WildCat-V. It is a dedicated lifter engine meant to be paired with a 2nd-stage vacuum engine

a tough decision has been made. The Kerbal Space Agency will be suspending launch operations for at least the next two months while we reassess Ascension & Progenitor program management. More details in this press release from @DKerman_KSA: kerbalspace.agency/?p=10854

cleanup & emergency crews are finishing up around the horizontal test stand, which suffered an explosion of the Boostertron II that was undergoing test fire today. How well it withstood the failure remains to be seen but all safety protocols were followed & no injuries reported

we're ramping rocket operations back up! Sadly Progenitor remains sidelined but Ascension is free to fly and we have three launches in the queue:

6/23 @ TBD - Mk1 (unkerbed)
7/16 @ TBD - Mk1 (Spc Bob)
TBD August - Mk2

Save the dates! More details in the coming days 🚀✨

meteorologist Katgan has compiled her report for tomorrow & shows a 70% chance of good launch conditions, citing surface winds as the main issue. Of course, Wx forecasting is still a nascent concept that has the same probability of general accuracy... Regardless, Mk1 stands rdy!

Hot! Hot! Hot! 🔥 the 2nd WildCat-V test engine also survived a full-length static fire on the test stand today. Like the first test it was put through various throttle ranges. Lead Engineer Simon reports he is pleased - so far performance is as expected!

one year until the launch window for Extremis 1 opens, which is being planned to fly by Eve, Jool and Plock over the course of just longer than 2 years. This would most likely be launched on an Ascension Mk3, altho not ruling out the chance of a slightly more capable Mk4

the Boostertron II originally static fired back at the start of April has just been fired again earlier today on our horizontal test stand. Data still needs a full review but initial results were good. If confirmed we would be clear to fly a refurbished one w/3rd Mk7-B in Oct

so nice to see our improvements to the Viklun stage were effective, as well as retro thrusters on the lifter decoupler. Here is staging & PLF separation. Future improvements will still be needed, Mk3 will now get larger tanks for RCS fuel since these thrusters are so thirsty

huge milestone today as the booster recovered from the ocean after last month's 1st Progeny Mk7-B flight was successfully static fired on our horizontal test stand. This upcoming 3rd Mk7-B flight will use a booster that was originally fired in Mar and again in Apr

booster ignition and we have LIFT OFF! This booster will be running for the third time but first time in flight to carry the Mk7-B close to or even into the upper atmosphere. If all goes well, the 2nd stage will be pushing the rest of the way before this first minute expires

booster ignition & LIFT OFF!! The MK7-B heads up on its final mission, rolling off the pad to orient 34° NE then starting pitch-over, which will not be phased just a continuous movement. BECO <1min followed by a coast to 25km for staging. GO PROGENY! 🚀

already cheers in Launch Control after the 1st stage performed as expected. Recall this is the same booster flown on the 1st Mk7-B mission in August! A great accomplishment. Now hoping rest of mission goes as well. Staging should be occurring right about now...

post-launch ops complete & we are proud to say the Progeny Mk7-B ends service with a fully successful mission - finally! The SRB was recovered 16km downrange just over the horizon from KSC. Minor concern this mission was it possibly coming down over land & being damaged

2 design tweaks made to the Mk3 since the first render. First change is to the SRB placement, which are higher up now in order to allow the rocket to be properly mounted on the Mobile Launch Platform and align with the service tower linkups for fuel, power and ECLSS

the Ascension Mk3 is looking 🤩 and has been finalized for preparation to begin launches in early 2021! It will carry probes to Mun, Minmus and even beyond the Kerbin system. It will carry crew into Low-Kerbin Orbit. Full resolution: flickr.com/gp/kerbal_spac…

although we plan to have the WildCat-V flight-certified by end of Q2 2021, the Mk3 will initially launch with the K2-X, of which 2 are currently available. 3 more have also been ordered just in case issues arise with the WildCat-V during testing. 1st WC-V arrives next month

other than WC-V engine, the Mk3 is comprised of flight-proven hardware from the Mk1, Mk2 and Progeny Mk7-B. With the K2-X powering at least the first 2 missions we have the confidence to send up actual payloads right away, starting with Kerbin III - more details later this week!

we've awarded a contract to Rockomax, to build a LF/O vacuum-optimized engine to be fitted on probes launched by the Ascension Mk3. 1st test will be on Kerbin III in early 2021. The engine will support interplanetary missions & Kerbin missions needing flexible trajectories

coming up on a Kerbin II contact window with the expedition the KerBalloon crews are attached to, which will bounce a signal to DSN Central that will be distributed via ground cables to the command centers here at KSC and Sheltered Rock where the science expedition is based from

as you can see, Kerbin II does travel away from the expedition site & is not able to communicate every pass. In general the ground teams have 5-8 mins during 5 windows ~35min apart, then a ~3hr wait for the start of the next 5-window pass

here is a closer look at the Mk1-B capsule that will fly atop the Ascension Mk3 to carry crew in LKO. It has more internal volume than the Mk1-A to accommodate expanded ECLSS to support the onboard astronaut properly on longer orbital missions. Also a slightly bigger window

the flatter bottom will conform less to the heat shield but also leave more room for a set of airbags that can deploy to assist with emergency landings on terrain. These are in addition to the flotation collar already used on the Mk1-A for normal splashdowns

the hatch on top allows for a secondary escape path if the main hatch gets stuck or opening it would take on water. Finally the corrugated paneling will better resist the heat of longer, shallower re-entry from orbit to allow us to reduce Gs on the crew

here's a first look at Kerbin III, with notes on its design and mission objectives. Final blueprint coming in Jan after any adjustments made based on Kerbin II recovery. Most of this design is final though and has already started assembly to meet the launch target of early Feb

also good news on the initial modeling of a straight-up launch for the Ascension Mk3 with a K2-X engine and the Kerbin III probe firing as well - it almost escapes Kerbin SOI! Altho only halfway, from that point just ~47m/s Δv needed to barely break free of Kerbin's influence

very quiet at KSC today as everyone mostly ready to head home for new year vacation over the next two weeks. 2021 is looking so busy however Admin staff have agreed to come back in after only a week to begin prepping for operations to resume with vigor on Jan 4th

project and program leads as well as KSA admin staff are back to work already, foregoing the normal 2wk vacay to get working on solidifying plans for next year. We will also be doing our regular recaps on the year's operations over this coming week leading into 2021

here is a closer look at the Kerbin III payload that will ride to space next month atop the Ascension Mk3. Full res on flickr (flickr.com/gp/kerbal_spac…). There are some changes to the original design posted late last year, additional images have more information

Kerbin III has arrived from our payload processing facility in Umbarg to be mated with its truss then encapsulated in its fairing. Right before that happens the RTG will be installed. To leave it buttoned up too long would cause the insides to get so hot it would damage things

the stacking begins! Over this next week the Ascension Mk3 will undergo vertical integration atop the Mobile Launch Platform. The orbital stage is finishing up its build to go on next followed by the payload - although this final stacking will occur after a Wet Dress Rehearsal

MSV Aldeny has pulled back into port at Arekibo after nearly exhausting its supplies again but didn't because it found and recovered the RTG from Kerbin II! \[0_o]/ Not only is it nice to not have it potentially polluting the environment, these things are *really* expensive

rolling! Mobile Launch Platform carrying the Ascension Mk3 is making its slow way out to the pad. It will be hooked up to the service towers and tanked to ensure it can handle the fuel load, no leaks are present, ground support equipment is functioning properly, etc etc.

we are now targeting 2/11 @ 17:14 UTC for launch of Kerbin III atop the Ascension Mk3 to allow the VAB more time to prepare the payload after crew members informed Lead Engineer Simon that they felt overworked and stressed to complete the vehicle on time for launch

being that this is a highly-anticipated mission it was scheduled to get up into space ASAP but looks like we were being a bit too ambitious on our timeline. A few days delay is worth it to ensure that months of preparation are not wasted by a rushed deployment leading to failure

vertical test stand is once again hosting the WildCat-V as it begins its second round of qualification testing. Unlike previous engines, this one will not fly afterwards. If all is well though we will have new ones in time for the second Ascension Mk3 mission later this year

Flight Director Lanalye has informed us she noticed we posted an incorrect time for the 2/11 Ascension Mk3 launch, which is supposed to be at 18:57 UTC. We're not sure where the miscommunication occurred but Ops Tracker now has the proper time, we apologize for the error

Kerbin III final integration went smoothly this week: RTG was installed & payload encapsulated in its fairings then mounted atop the Ascension Mk3 stack, which is now rolling back towards the pad so Kerbin III can be powered on and undergo testing to ensure launch readiness

our crew are training hard every day with barely any free time but unlike past launches where they've worked it into their sched as available they are making sure not to miss this one despite delays. They are psyched to see their future ride head to space! twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

2/11
#2🌄08:48:36 🌅10:58:57 !!🚀!!
#3🌄14:49:27 🌅16:59:48
#4🌄20:50:18 🌅23:00:39

2/12
#1🌄02:51:09 🌅05:01:30

[L-6h5m] our small team of meteorologists led by Katgan have given the GO for prelaunch procedures to commence, with a 90% favorable forecast for this day cycle. Teams continue to organize & deploy across campus, expect updates at these milestones in the countdown

[L-5h40m] Flight Director Lanalye has assembled her A team of launch controllers for final preflight briefing. Here is all you need to know about today's planned ascent, which will actually be more aggressive than the Mk2 that failed just over a year ago: ops.kerbalspace.agency

although the ascent is risky, it gives the mission the best insertion apokee with the most fuel remaining, so it is worth going for. Also, Kerbin III is designed to be recoverable, which means it can abort the ascent if needed and return the entire upper stage with a splashdown

the main factor in the Mk2's failure was inadequate attitude control. Mk3 not only has more powerful RCS but greater torque force due to its longer body. Fairings will also still be attached when 2nd stage starts off on its own to help with aerodynamic stability & heating

yet another reason for pushing the envelope is determining the rocket's limitations, which still can't be modeled to a high-degree. Yes the rocket could fail, but it will do so under the best case conditions for not losing the entire mission in the process

[L-5h] controllers are on console to begin waking up the Viklun flight computer and placing Kerbin III on standby as pad workers clamber all about the MLP removing flight safety hardware. Latest updates to the AFCS can be found here: github.com/KSAMissionCtrl…

[L-4h25m] tanker truck is hooked to the service towers and is GO to onload 810/990u LF/O - 9t of propellants between the 1st(7t) & 2nd(2t) stages. Kerbin III was fueled prior to being encapsulated & is only attached to the service towers for power, comms & environmental control

[L-3h45m] tanking completed on schedule, pad crews moving back in to clean up and move off the truck while controllers can now continue with their preflight checks. Vehicle state changes like this are shown via the Ops Tracker: ops.kerbalspace.agency

[L-2h40m] pad crew clearing out so controllers can move into engine & ignition checks. Issues board remains clear and Lead Engineer Simon is pleased to report that the GSE problems from last week's WDR have not recurred either

[L-1h45m][HOLD] an issue that came up since the last milestone has not been cleared & countdown is on a hold now while we continue to work the problem. Sensor data from the engine is not reading as expected - but is the problem on the rocket, the console or somewhere in between?

further troubleshooting has revealed old ground cabling is likely corrupting data. We will scrub today to replace them all. Sensor data over RF is as expected, but we need corroboration from two sources. Also, pretty crazy to think that we have old launch equipment!

[L-5h25m] launch forecast is 35% favorable & we have decided to delay until tmrw. Launch window is very small so setting up and waiting for weather to maybe improve isn't worth it. Yes it's a wknd but we need the MLP for Progeny Mk8 so any further delays will also push that back

a lot has changed since the last time we happened to have a rocket out on the pad during a sunrise eclipse! Taken during first sunrise earlier today. We've had more success than failure launching during eclipses so if this were still a launch day we wouldn't have been too worried

the extended launch delay has left a fully-tanked 21ton rocket sitting atop the MLP and although it is *designed* to handle rockets much larger than the MK3 Lead Engineer Simon still has a crew regularly checking the load bearing elements for any signs of distress

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

2/13
#2🌄08:55:24 🌅11:05:45 !!🚀!!
#3🌄14:56:15 🌅17:06:36
#4🌄20:57:06 🌅23:07:27

2/14
#1🌄02:57:57 🌅05:08:18

[L-5h25m] weather conditions have improved and an 85% favorable forecast was delivered by Kat's team of meteorologists so we are GO to once again begin gearing up for launch preparations across campus. Condensed timeline of major events is as follows

[L-5h] although the A team of launch controllers is just as prepared as they were earlier this week, sticking to the timeline is important for protocol & FD Lanalye is making it clear no changes have been made to the original flight plan: twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

something easily overlooked about the Mk3 design for this flight in particular is the placement of the RCS pitch thrusters. For Mk2 concern was heavy nose falling down, Mk3 concern is air pressure pushing nose up, so more thrusters are there to help push it down

given the variable nature of ascent trajectories we will probably just have 4 thrusters on both sides moving forward. It really is a bit of an overly-prudent measure to just not have 2 extra thrusters, although of course CFO Mortimer would disagree...

[L-4h20m] wakey wakey! Flight computers booting up aboard the Viklun & Kerbin III. Kerbin III will power back off after initial checks & stay asleep until orbit, Viklun's dual computers will command the ascent. Pad workers are out at the rocket to prep the physical flight systems

leaving port from Umbarg earlier this week, MSV Aldeny is still on station ~225km downrange to handle recovery in the event of an ascent abort. It is near enough to the shipping route between Sheltered Rock & Umbarg that we can pass messages back and forth via maritime captains

[L-2h40m] all is looking nominal as we move into checks of the engine & ignition systems. Pad crew clearing back to a safe distance. Small electrical charges sent to igniters to confirm continuity should not light anything off but always better safe than sorry

[L-1h45m] FD Lanalye confirms rocket is ready to go as preflight concludes. Countdown continues! Range Safety Officer now working to ensure waters and airspace along launch corridor remain clear. Our booster recovery boat has been launched into the bay north of KSC

[L-1h35m] KerBalloon has been released to carry its instrument package aloft for some updated upper-level wind data in addition to confirming the earlier surface conditions forecast. It will reach the upper atmosphere (18km+) in ~1hr & climb as high as 25km

[L-1h] launch controllers have settled in to rehearse the 3m38s ascent with their consoles being fed simulated data to ensure that everyone knows their roles and that systems are properly configured. This is done a few times with FD Lanalye sometimes throwing in some failures

[L-30m] weather remains GO for final countdown procedures to begin. Any further holds from this point will likely scrub the launch as we are aiming to put our apokee opposite the sun so launch window is near-instantaneous. MLP is secured & pad crews withdrawn to a safe distance

[L-15m] RSO has confirmed range clear & closed, engines are ARMED and Flight Termination System is ACTIVE. Spectator areas are packed but do not move outside designated locations. Final check underway by safety officers that all outside are wearing hearing protection

[L-13m] late onload of nitrogen gas for pressurizing the Viklun stage is now underway and helps to ensure pad crew safety in the event of a tank rupture. The gas will help to ensure engine restart for SES-2 & SES-3, any additional restarts will use the engine's orbital tanks

ascent needs to be very tight to put the rocket where we planned for it to go but fin steering likely to exceed these constraints often. So a bit of flashing red during ascent telemetry is to be expected, but a lot of extended red for these & other values will not be a good sign

[L-5m] Wx? GO! Range? GO! Tracking? GO! Payload? GO! Flight? GO! Ops Director @DKerman_KSA has given permission to launch - 🚀 GO ASCENSION! GO KERBIN III! 🚀 FTS internal, service towers unlocked for retraction at terminal count when AFCS startup begins

[L-4m] Viklun tanks pressures still climbing but have reached levels to help improve upper stage rigidity after service tower retracts. Lower stage is held firm by its boosters but upper stage is more susceptible to strong wind gusts

[T-2m] terminal count! Automated Flight Control System has taken over control of the rocket, service towers have detached to leave rocket on internal power & RF comms. Dual flight computers are performing synchronization and SRB hold-down bolt explosives are armed

[T-1m] tune into the Ops Tracker now if not already! ops.kerbalspace.agency live ascent telemetry will load after 30s final poll if all goes well. "Hold hold hold!" is not a call we want to hear at any point over this next minute, but it could happen. Final launch sequence:

good main engine ignition, booster ignition and LIFT OFF! The first flight of the Ascension Mk3 soars up into the sky to carry the Kerbin III probe up into orbit so it can perform a long-term study of the radiation belts. Launch thrust is 306kN for a TWR of 1.45

initial ascent showed the rocket already had some issues keeping pace with the required pitch over rate but eventually caught up & returned to nominal. It is now supersonic tho & we expect fin flutter will make it exceed its tight constraints so flashing red may not be *too* bad

as expected some very minor deviation in roll/hdg but not enough to exceed constraints. We are however seeing very bad pitch oscillations, which is new behavior not experience by any previous rocket. This does not bode well but hopefully ride smooths out with finless upper stage

ABORT! ABORT! ABORT! A tumbling upper stage was unable to show signs of recovery and the ascent has been terminated. Viklun ignition was good so the RCS is attempting to re-orient the vessel retrograde while the engine is in low-thrust mode so velocity can be reduced

upper stage continues to fight air pressure and orient retrograde. If you see the throttle go wide open than the orientation was successful. If it falls back to 50% it was unable to be held & will keep trying. This reduction in velocity will prevent excess heating as it falls

there was some success in slowing down, although late in the final moments of the burn the stage tumbled further out of control than expected and actually started to gain velocity again! But SECO arrived shortly and upper stage is now nearing terminal velocity anyways

we won't know the fate of the rocket until we hear from MSV Aldeny on the VHF radio, but we do know it was in the best possible configuration for a successful splashdown when we lost contact, so that is reassuring. It will hit hard, but Viklun stage will soak up most of impact

the Aldeny is about 1.5-2hrs away from the rocket's last known position but should already be underway at best possible speed & sea conditions were reportedly good in the area. Meanwhile, all 4 boosters confirmed down intact & are being towed back to shore one at a time

we're relaying through 2 other ships but have received the message that MSV Aldeny has found the rocket intact! Viklun stage suffered heavy damage as expected but Kerbin III is looking in good shape. Great to hear the best worst case scenario for this mission has been achieved

ultimately of course this mission will be marked as another failure but like our last one in January it's not a total loss as we have collected valuable data which will be put to good use planning for future missions, including the re-flight of Kerbin III

telemetry from yesterday's flight is now available: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d… we will fill in the missing final minutes once we can recover the data from the flash memory aboard the Viklun stage after it returns to KSC

until we are able to examine the upper stage there remains a chance that some assembly error led to the abort but we more than likely simply exceeded the capabilities of the rocket. So had we launched on the original date the outcome would have likely been for the same reasons

the Viklun stage & Kerbin III have been transported via rail back to KSC after arriving in port at Umbarg on Sunday. We still have to confirm that Kerbin III remains fit for flight but visual inspection looks good. Entire Viklun stage will need to be rebuilt but that was expected

in putting together the Ascension Mk3 mission report timeline (kerbalspace.agency/?p=11619), since it is the first, we go all the way back thru the rocket's development as well. That reminded us of this tweet outlining the Mk3's design goals. What happened to the TVC vacuum engine?

the original plan to develop a 1.25m TVC vacuum engine was put on hold to instead work on the 1m vac engine suitable for payloads and also because our experience with the Progeny Mk7 made us want to get more TVC engineering data from the Mk8 for a fully TVC Ascension Mk4 by 2022

there is also now apparently a threat against KSC and we have complied with orders from the government security forces earlier today that the entire facility be evacuated. We will continue to operate at limited capacity from our HQ in Umbarg until the threat has passed

some Ascension Mk2 bit.ly/KSARecords have now been claimed by the Mk3:

(previous record)
Heaviest Rocket Launched, Minus Payload: 19.862t (17.5t)
Heaviest Payload Launched, Orbital Trajectory: 1.662t (767kg)
Tallest Rocket Launched: 16.782m (16.212m)

onboard vid shows the pitch oscillations during the Ascension Mk3's ascent were way worse than we imagined - the *entire rocket flexed* 😱 inherent structural issue? Could also be from the air pressure at the nose (think boat bow slamming up & down on hvy seas) from shallow angle

the Viklun upper stage will be systematically dismantled to help determine the cause of the flexing and what effect it had on the overall structural integrity of the rocket. The damage from splashdown will reduce these findings but hopefully the effort will still prove valuable

a final round of static fires last week has completed the WildCat-V's second qualification run & we'll know for sure by next month if it is finally ready for production. If so, two will be ready by Q3 2021 for Extremis I and a Min/Minmus mission

we've also placed another order for K2-X engines. This latest Ascension Mk3 mission has shown we want to move faster than planned to the Mk4 so the thrust vector control version of the WildCat-V will begin development immediately and we will order more when that is ready