Progeny Mk6 Timeline

Progenitor introduces the Progeny Mk5 Block II, our most powerful & capable rocket to date! Get all the info here: bit.ly/Progenitor-PR3

Mortimer confirms we have all but the SRBs ordered & on the way for our Progeny Mk5 Block II launch next month, launch date still NET 11/15

in which our Operations Director @DKerman_KSA explains why it'll be a while before we get photos from space: kerbalspace.agency/?p=5890

all day spent working to get science & telemetry data from rocket has been a total success! Now, all the bad news: bit.ly/ProgenitorPR18

stage three of the next Progeny Mk6 Block I has completed its initial assembly and will integrate the science instruments on Monday. SRBs will arrive Tuesday for a fast 2-day assembly culminating in final integration to end Wednesday with rollout & launch Thursday

tickets are on sale for this week's launch but if you can't afford one or are too slow to grab one then we will have open access first-come first-serve viewing areas behind the ticket holder areas, which will now house grandstand seating

Bill, Bob and crew have set sail from Umbarg aboard MSV Lymun to head out ~575km to bit.ly/Sector_PHCV-843. They are taking along 2 UTVs as well in case winds push the balloon overland after release

a roughly 12-13hr trip at best speed would have had MSV Lymun arrive at the research site late yesterday. Assuming weather cooperates they will release and recover today to be back by tomorrow

Tracking Station has completed system checkouts and dish calibration in anticipation of tomorrow's launch. Only one dish is designated primary but all are used for redundancy, including the dish atop the VAB

Flight Director Lanalye reports her team has procedures drilled and locked in for tomorrow's launch, which will be mostly the same as the last one except for full thrust on stage 3 booster, launching further south & fairing deployment after re-entry

Operations Director @DKerman_KSA has all the launch paperwork in order and ready to be signed off on - we are just waiting on the VAB. Lead Engineer Simon reports the Mk6 is stacked & horizontal, still running through its final integration checks

Simon has handed Drew his readiness report and with everything now signed off we are officially 🚀 GO FOR LAUNCH 🚀 tomorrow!! The rocket will be rolled out and mounted after 2nd sunrise and pre-launch operations will begin at 16:51 UTC

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

2/15
#2🌄07:04:20 🌅09:14:40
#3🌄13:05:11 🌅15:15:31 !!🚀!!
#4🌄19:05:02 🌅21:16:22

2/16
#1🌄01:06:53 🌅03:17:13

the rocket is on the way out to the pad, workers are already out there re-orienting the launch base to point 105° ESE. Weather is looking beautiful today with partly cloudy skies and a light wind out of the west

mounting operations wrapping up, leaving the rocket standing 12m tall on the pad massing 1.597t of dry weight. More information on the rocket can be found on our Ops Tracker bit.ly/ProgenyMk6B1-1

[L-4h10m] with the rocket on the pad pre-launch operations are getting underway. Here is our timeline for today's launch, with checks removed for our recovery ship - even if MSV Lymun were out there ~200km downrange it would be too far to contact

[L-3h40m] Flight Director Lanalye has her launch team assembling for briefing. Today's ascent profile will have 2 tweaks from last launch: 3rd stage booster will kick off at full thrust instead of 2.5 TWR and chute will open 1km lower

lowering the chute opening altitude will give the rocket a bit more time to slow down but the chute also requires time to fully open & decelerate the rocket before splashdown - it remains to be seen whether we strike a good enough balance on this flight

[L-3h10m] weather continued to look good at sunset earlier, hopefully will remain so next day cycle. Rocket now looking just a tad bit further to the south than normal, which will slightly alter our launch commit criteria for surface winds but as of now we are GO for pre-flight

[L-2h55m] Automated Flight Control System has been initialized, you can check out code changes here: bit.ly/AFCS_Changes. Fuel system has been prepped for propellant loading and crews on the pad have been given the GO from Launch Control to begin tanking

[L-2h40m] tankers have left the pad while remaining crew work to secure the area. Rocket is now 109kg heavier and further system checks are proceeding at Launch Control along with fuel level monitoring to ensure no leaks are present

ticketed viewing areas are full up but there is still plenty of room in the open access areas - be sure to remain within designated areas for your safety and comply with all instructions given by KSC staff

[L-1h55m] pad evacuation underway ahead of booster engine checks, quick response team sheltering in the nearby bunker. MSV Tongjess is receiving a balloon crew as winds shift out of the south but remain light

[L-1h30m] no issues being worked as pre-flight concludes with indications of 3 good boosters. Range Safety Officer awaiting the return of MSV Tongjess to complete range setup but we don't expect this to delay the countdown

[L-1h20m] KerBalloon has been released off the deck of MSV Tongjess to ascend into the upper atmosphere for wind readings. Surface winds continue to remain green. Tongjess heading back on station for range monitoring duties

[L-45m] rocket remains healthy and launch team is now running through their ascent procedures in a full dress rehearsal to ensure all systems are properly prepped and ready for flight

MSV Lymun has just pulled into port at Umbarg but will take too long to turn around for rocket recovery duties. Bill & Bob report a successful release & recovery of their KerBalloon, will head back to KSC after delivering data to Probodobodyne

[L-30m] still pretty dark out but we're seeing mostly clear skies and no sign of rain or storms reported in the region. Surface winds remain out of the south but within limits and steady. Upper-level winds check will come at L-5m readiness poll. Final countdown is GO!

[L-15m] RSO has the range secured, controllers are arming the rocket boosters. Pad is cleared out to 300m, airspace and waters around KSC are clear for 15km. View from atop Launch Control is looking good with even clearer skies following

[L-5m] final polls! Wx: GO, upper-level winds nominal; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀

[T-2m] Terminal count! AFCS now has control as the rocket switches to internal power and RF comms as cables disconnect, retracting from the launch base out to the pad edge

[T-1m] if you haven't already, head over to bit.ly/ProgenyMk6B1-1 on the Ops Tracker for real-time updates of planned flight events and yes, you should totally be counting down out loud the final 10 seconds. Here we go!!

successful ignition of the 0.625m lower booster and the Progeny Mk6 Block I has left the pad at 4Gs! Burn will last approx 33s and carry the rocket almost all the way to the upper atmosphere with a MaxQ between 70-80kPa

ascent nominal, now at 34km ASL 10km downrange making the final push out of the atmosphere in excess of 1km/s and increasing. All boosters separated cleanly, rocket AoA <1° at 3rd stage sep, spin rate good

BECO-3 just after entering space and full thrust at ignition has pushed the rocket up to a new record height of 581km! We will be coasting to apokee over the next ~9min while keeping a close eye on power levels and radiation readings

we've passed 580.571km apokee & are now falling back to Kerbin. Rocket is 137km downrange, MSV Tongjess confirmed both SRBs splashed and is already working its way southeast. Power levels will last the remainder of the flight

we've exited the high radiation zone and the data sent back shows we entered later than last flight and falloff on descent was also quicker. A picture is starting to be painted...

now a whopping 254km downrange traveling over 2.1km/s & still accelerating rocket is re-entering the atmosphere. It will dump its fairings at 6km in an attempt to induce more drag and deploy chute just 1.5km over the water. Horizon has already cut off the signal

by now the rocket is either floating on the surface or sunk to the bottom of the sea. We will have to wait for MSV Tongjess to travel there and back with news - it is a ~5h trip one way so we won't know for some time. Pad cleanup and post-launch ops are underway

MSV Tongjess contacted us around 0900 UTC, on its way back after spending a few hours searching the estimated splashdown area when no locator beacon was detected. Unfortunately no sign of the rocket was found

VAB is getting prepped for another Mk6 build with the parts that have come in this past week while also getting ready for the Ascension K2-X engine to arrive next week for integration with the tank and insertion to the test stand

while we lost detailed data stored on the Mk6 we still have the 1s interval telemetry data beamed back until loss of signal as well as enough science data to get a partial payout from Reaction Systems. You can review telemetry data here: bit.ly/Tlm_2-15-18

bit.ly/FinanceReport_… has been posted by Mortimer, showing out first profit for the year. Unfortunately it's not as much as we'd hoped given the shutdown of KSC but profit nonetheless

the High Court has ruled that the injunction against surface operations is legal, which means our team of lawyers now has to get to work writing up amendments to the current laws that will have to be cleared through Assembly. This could take months!!

we can't occupy permanent structures above ground but we can continue to build them! Our new Administration Complex is complete on schedule. Original bldg rebuilt w/new & better materials, second bldg is 3rd story, with 2 levels sprawling underground (high water table)

there is really not much to report in March's financial report but as always it is available for public review if anyone is interested: bit.ly/FinanceReport_…

shortly after sunrise and KSC stands ready to resume operations as we complete our initial move back onto campus today. Will take another week or so to complete the transition but activities will pick up & a rocket will be back on the pad soon!

let's get back to launching rockets!! Ascension Mk1 flight is still NET end of May but here are the next Progeny MK6 Block I flights:

#2🚀 4/26 @ 17:58 UTC
#3🚀 5/2 @ 18:18 UTC
#4🚀 5/8 @ 18:38 UTC

tickets are on sale for all three upcoming launches - if previous launches are any indication better move fast of you want one. Non-ticketed areas will be available as well - you may not see the rocket light off on the pad but will still get a great view of ascent

having been out on the pad mostly the entire time since it was last used back in February, the launch base has already been checked out for flight worthiness. Today pad crews are orienting it 120° for the next launch

Launch Readiness: ✅TS ❌LC ❌VAB ❌Ops
tracking station reports they are ready to assist with tomorrow's launch, all dishes are calibrated and tested to ensure good tracking during ascent

Launch Readiness: ✅TS ✅LC ❌VAB ❌Ops
Flight Director Lanalye has filed her readiness report that the launch control team is ready. launch drills will continue around the next K2-X hot-fire & pad crew will also be undergoing sheltering, evacuation & fire emergency drills as well

Launch Readiness: ✅TS ✅LC ✅VAB ❌Ops
Lead Engineer Simon reports the rocket has cleared final inspections and is loaded up on the carry vehicle for transport out to the pad tomorrow after 2nd sunrise for mounting & fueling operations

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

4/26
#2🌅07:11:47 🌄11:02:16
#3🌅13:12:38 !!🚀!! 🌄17:03:07
#4🌅19:13:29 🌄23:03:58

4/27
#1🌅01:14:20 🌄05:04:49

rocket is being marshaled out of the VAB so it can head down the road to the launch pad ~700m distant. Attached to the third stage fuel tank you can see the new airbrakes that will be deployed prior to the parachute after re-entry

mounting operations are finishing up and the rocket is attached to the launch rail, standing 12m tall and massing 1.607t while dry. You can learn more about the rocket via our Ops Tracker: ops.kerbalspace.agency

[L-4h10m] pre-launch ops are now getting underway, sticking to the same timeline as last launch. Expect updates at these milestones. Weather reports are now being gathered to see if we have anything besides winds to worry about today

[L-3h40m] gathering in Launch Control, the team is being briefed by Flight Director Lanalye on today's ascent, which will be the same as last launch but coming back will see us attempt to use the airbrakes and the chute will deploy 300m sooner as well

the airbrakes will deploy gradually as the rocket falls the last few km before chute deployment. If they open all the way immediately it's likely the pushrods opening them will be unable to overcome the force of the air pressure, or the fuel tank will be crushed

[L-3h10m] no reports of adverse weather in the region, surface winds are still gusting out of the southwest and are currently RED. Launch control is GO to begin pre-flight operations, waking up the rocket and loading on the flight software

[L-2h55m] we are GO for tanking operations to load the third stage with liquid fuel and oxidizer. Rocket is online and undergoing system checks, you can see the changes to the AFCS that were made for this flight here: bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog

[L-2h40m] pad is being secured as tankers head out after loading up 109kg of fuel into the rocket. System checks continue at Launch Control as fuel levels in the tanks are closely monitored for any leaks.

as expected tickets sold out to this launch and the open access viewing areas are almost full as well. Shuttle bus service across the causeway will cease once capacity is reached. Views are still great from the Support Village

[L-1h55m] Bob, Bill & a small crew have already headed out to ready a high-altitude KerBalloon for deployment to check up on @upperlevelwinds while the launch pad is now clearing for booster engine checks, QRT sheltering in the nearby bunker

[L-1h30m] we're looking a green board in Launch Control as pre-flight operations wrap up, MSV Lymun has reported on station and is working with the Range Safety Officer to setup for monitoring duties. MSV Tongjess departed Umbarg for the recovery zone earlier today

[L-1h20m] Bob reports good balloon release, it will rise up over the launch corridor to a height of nearly 25km by L-0 and keep us informed of conditions in the upper atmosphere so we can monitor for dangerous wind shear

[L-45m] inside an hour to launch, controllers undergo a final dress rehearsal to ensure all stations are setup properly and everyone knows their duties, operations code is runchecked one last time

[L-30m] GO for final count! Rocket remains healthy & launch rehearsal came up clean. Recent check of weather has upgraded surface winds to GREEN, upper-level winds check will come during final polling. RSO is preparing to lock things down, pad workers are clearing back to 300m

sun is about to break over the horizon and the skies are looking great - a band of heavy clouds is reported coming our way from Umbarg but is not expected to obscure the RSO from monitoring the initial ascent

[L-15m] RSO confirms range is clear, rocket is ARMED and flight termination system is now active. Final RF comm checks underway ahead of pulling ground connections for terminal countdown

as usual the Ops Tracker will be carrying real time updates of planned staging events, tune in to keep track of the ascent: ops.kerbalspace.agency

[L-5m] final polls! Wx: GO, upper-level winds nominal; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 this will be the new record for heaviest rocket launch (1.710t minus payload weight) thanks to the airbrakes

[T-2m] we are now in the terminal count phase as the Automated Flight Control System onboard the rocket takes over control. Switchover to internal power & radio frequency comms underway, ground cables are retracting from the launch base. System status log:

[T-1m] final primary-station polls will commence at T-30s, manual and automatic holds good all the way up to booster ignition at T-0 but the board remains green and all systems are primed and ready - let's gooooooooo!

we have liftoff! Lower 0.625m booster ignited to push the rocket off the pad with 4Gs of acceleration thrusting at 67kN and climbing. The first stage burn will last ~33s before stage separation occurs around 15km ASL. Rocket is tracking ESE as planned

perfect flight so far, clean stage seps for both SRBs, now in the third boost phase with apokee already in space. Flight termination system has been safed, pad workers are already getting started cleaning up & checking the launch base for damage

BECO-3 just passing through the boundary into space, rocket is on its way up to an apokee of 516km over the next 8 minutes while we continue to monitor telemetry data and keep an especially close eye on the radiation readings

we are through apokee and on the way back down to Kerbin, radiation readings are falling as we pass through apokee! However we will have to see how the readings turn out on the way back down to see if we've just punched through or also completely exited the field

radiation readings continued to fall back to normal space levels, which means we may have clipped an *edge* of the hazardous region. Won't know until more flights. Everyone now prepping for re-entry phase, where the airbrakes will be tested

loss of signal mere seconds after receiving confirmation of atmospheric interface breach. If all goes well, rocket will deploy airbrakes & chute to slow for landing once through 6km ASL. MSV Tongjess will capture any telemetry from this point on

nothing to do now but post-launch operations as we await word from MSV Tongjess. Recovery or not this was still a perfect flight that relayed the data we are most interested in, but hopefully we can bring back an intact rocket for the icing on top

telemetry data from yesterday's flight is now available. We've included current thrust rather than available thrust for the lower stage boost. Also the high data-rate log graph is back! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

examination of the airbrakes shows no serious damage that would prevent us from re-using them in future flights, although we have also ordered extra in the event any need to be replaced. The next Mk6 is currently being fitted with the used parts

bit.ly/FinanceReport_… is now up and although we nearly recouped our losses the amount of missions we were able to squeeze in at the end of the month couldn't quite overcome the Deuce and K2-X testing costs. Looking for some profit this month though!

pad inspection carried out this past day cycle reports no issues. Launch base is now aligned to 135°. Tracking station reports ready & range drills have been ongoing since yesterday with MSV Hoodall, a new vessel in our contract fleet

VAB is getting ready to button up the payload and is running the airbrakes through their final checkouts. Lead Engineer Simon reports they are on schedule to load up the rocket onto the carry vehicle by the end of the day

Flight Director Lanalye says they have wrapped up flight drills with the launch team and range drills working with the new Maritime Service Vessel, all is ready on their end for lift off tomorrow

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

5/2
#2🌅07:32:11 🌄11:22:40
#3🌅13:33:02 !!🚀!! 🌄17:23:31
#4🌅19:33:53 🌄23:24:22

5/3
#1🌅01:34:44 🌄05:25:13

[L-4h10m] the rocket was successfully rolled out and mounted to the launch base earlier today and we are on schedule proceeding into pre-launch operations, following the same timeline as the last launch. Expect updates at the following major events

[L-3h40m] launch team is assembling for Flight Director Lanalye to give the final briefing on today's operations. No changes have been made to the ascent profile or recovery stage

[L-3h10m] we are GO from weather kerbs to begin waking up the rocket and loading up the operations code. Rain passed through 2 day cycles ago but the regional reports are looking good now. No change other than launch time & payload code made to bit.ly/AFCS_KSA

[L-2h55m] just after sunset now, rocket is initialized and setup for tanking operations to begin. Crews on the pad will hook up the fuel trucks one at a time to first load 49kg of oxidizer followed by 60kg of liquid fuel (that is Sarnus rising)

[L-2h40m] tanking ops have completed and the rocket now weighs in at 1.721t fully fueled and ready to go - if the fuel stays in the tanks that is. Pre-flight checks continue as fuel levels are monitored closely for any leaks

this launch did not sell out (tickets still available for the next launch as well) so you can still purchase front-row seats upon arrival to KSC if you did not plan ahead. Free spectating areas are still open also

[L-1h55m] all systems remain nominal, fuel tank levels are holding. Workers are clearing the launch pad back to 300m with a few sheltering in the bunker for quick response in event of a fire or explosion. Engine testing will soon be underway

[L-1h30] rocket continues to look good, issues board remains clear as the pre-flight phase closes out and team transitions to external tasks of range setup, securing the launch pad and ensuring good RF comms across the launch network

[L-1h20m] a team out in the Grasslands to the WNW has released a high-altitude KerBalloon to begin its hour-long ascent into the upper atmosphere (>18km) to report back on wind conditions that could affect the rocket in flight. Surface conditions for launch remain green

[L-45m] proceeding now into a full dress rehearsal to ensure all systems are properly initialized for flight and controllers know their duties. MSV Hoodall especially will receive close scrutiny to ensure their training has them properly prepared

[L-30m] Flight Director Lanalye has given the GO for final countdown to begin after a clean rehearsal in conjunction with weather officers confirming conditions outside remain good. Range Safety Officer finalizing setup for monitoring the launch corridor

sunrise from outside of Launch Control with the rocket off in the distance. Winds are moderate out of the WNW which for this launch is pretty much a tail wind so no major concern except for possibly flattening out our trajectory a bit

[L-15m] RSO has confirmation from Hoodall that the waters are clear along the launch corridor and launch pad has also been cleared of all crew. Rocket boosters are now ARMED and Flight Termination System has been initialized

HOLD!! Final readiness poll returned a no go from weather, balloon is showing wind shear conditions in excess of flight limits at just over 18km, which is during an unpowered flight phase & could really knock the rocket around

balloon crew already had a second balloon (of three) ready for release and it will soon be on its way up. Hoodall will recover the first one, reaching its max altitude any minute now. Countdown will recycle to L-15m with new L-0 set for 19:35 UTC

2nd weather balloon is nearing the upper atmosphere for new readings. If conditions are still poor we will have to scrub the launch to the next day cycle as waiting for a third balloon would put the recovery zone in darkness by the time the rocket splashed down

[L-15m] countdown has resumed to bring us back to L-5m at which point we'll get a go/no go on upper-level wind conditions. Rocket is once again ARMED, FTS active and range/pad confirmed still clear. Skies are overcast but high enough for RSO to see the initial ascent

[L-5m] Final readiness polls complete: Wx: GO, all wind conditions nominal; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 FTS transitioning to internal power

[T-2m] terminal count! AFCS has assumed control of the flight from here on out, with manual override ability at any point should controllers deem it necessary. Rocket is switching over to internal power and RF comms

[T-1m] if you haven't already, be sure to head over to ops.kerbalspace.agency and follow the flight via our Ops Tracker for updates on planned events

we have booster ignition and LIFT OFF of the third Progeny Mk6 Block I rocket to further explore the hazardous radiation region above our planet! Clear of the launch base, ascending nominally tracking SSE before disappearing into the clouds

powered flight continues as the final stage boosts into space, all previous stages fired and detached without issue, rocket remains centered along the launch corridor and is now visible over the horizon by MSV Tongjess 300km downrange awaiting its recovery

we are back in space once more after an error-free ascent and coasting up over the next 8 minutes to an apokee of just 483km thanks to the extra payload mass carried on this flight along with the increased orbital inclination (and that tail wind we mentioned earlier)

don't worry, we wouldn't deprive you all of a launch photo, seen here heading up into mostly cloudy skies from atop the VAB. Range Safety Officer still had plenty of visibility before it vanished into the clouds to confirm good trajectory

just now passing through apokee, radiation readings once again peaked prior to this highest point on our trajectory but notably failed to reach the highest values seen on earlier flights. Focus now turns to re-entry. Rocket is currently 164km downrange

the rocket should by now be entering the lower atmosphere & extending its air brakes to slow for chute deployment. Signal was lost over the horizon just prior to atmospheric interface. Coming down slower than our last flight, we are expecting good news from Tongjess later today

post-launch ops underway and MSV Hoodall did an excellent job, recovering the second deployed balloon and tracking the spent stages to their watery graves. First stage booster splashed downrange 19km @ L+3m4s and the second stage 46km @ L+4m33s

payload is already being enclosed in fairings as we are simply re-using the one that was recovered this week. Not having to re-integrate instruments has allowed us to push up the launch on Tuesday to 12:38 UTC with rollout late on Monday

Lead Engineer Simon reports final checkouts of the rocket were made earlier today, it is now being loaded onto the carry vehicle for transport to the pad for mounting as 3rd sunrise approaches. Launch base has been checked over as well & moved to point 150° SSE

[L-4h10m] let's get rrrready to rocket!! That was an attempt to wake everyone up. Early launches are no one's favorite but there will be times orbital mechanics don't give us a choice so best take opportunities to get used to it. Schedule remains the same as prev launches

[L-3h40m] no change made to the ascent profile or recovery except lack of payload fairing detachment. Final launch briefing by Flight Director Lanalye to her team will be rote but there's always a chance the rocket can throw us something surprising so they will be prepared

Flight Director Lanalye has the electric prod ready to ensure our Ops Director doesn't fall asleep during final polling twitter.com/DKerman_KSA/st…

[L-3h10m] Wx reports no storms in the region, Lanalye says her team is set & thus we are GO to wake up the rocket to begin operations load. Except for launch timing & payload fairings no longer detaching, bit.ly/AFCS_KSA has no significant code changes for this mission

[L-2h55m] all systems GO for tanking to begin out on the launch pad, loading 109kg of propellant into the third stage. All other operations are on hold during this 12-15min process for safety reasons

[L-2h40m] we have resumed pre-launch operations as tankers leave the pad, continuing with software checks, comm checks, and monitoring the fuel system levels to ensure no leaks are present. No issues raised by the launch team so far

[L-1h55m] issues board remains clear, now evacuating the pad and sheltering the quick-response team ahead of booster engine checks. MSV Hoodall is pulling up to shore to collect the weather balloon team as winds are off the water today

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

5/8
#2🌅07:52:35 !!🚀!! 🌄11:29:28
#3🌅13:53:26 🌄17:30:19
#4🌅19:54:17 🌄23:31:10

5/9
#1🌅01:55:08 🌄05:32:01

[L-1h30m] pre-flight operations are wrapping up, now time to look externally and ensure the range is clear once MSV Hoodall assists in the weather balloon release. MSV Tongjess left late yesterday to be in position 325km downrange for recovery, Lymun still in dry dock

[L-1h20m] balloon already on its way up early so Hoodall could move back to its range monitoring station without delaying the countdown. Nor will this affect the accuracy of the upper-level wind reports, just the timing as to how long the data is viable for use

small crowds out on the grounds due to the launch time being moved. Lots of tickets refunded. In fact, an alleged scandal is in the works today: supposedly a large number of Monolithic supporters purchased tickets & thus we moved the launch in attempt to deter their attendance

of course, those pushing the accusations refuse to believe our claim that we don't even collect that kind of information from kerbs buying tickets and had no way of knowing larger than normal followers of Monolithic beliefs would be attending today

[L-45m] pad has been secured, MSV Hoodall is on station and confirms range is clear. Launch team running through a full flight dress rehearsal as a final step to ensure all controllers know their roles and all stations are initialized properly

[L-30m] although we currently have overcast sky conditions too low for launch, final countdown is continuing with another weather check to take place at L-15m prior to range closure and rocket arming. Everyone wave your arms and sweep away the clouds! wave em hard!

sunrise is just a few minutes away. You can see the terminator and sun position on the Ops Tracker map using the Layer Control in the upper-right corner. ops.kerbalspace.agency

[HOLD] we are going to hold the count at L-15m while we wait for mostly cloudy skies to clear. Range Safety Officer needs visual confirmation of good rocket trajectory up to 3km ASL. Cloud deck is around 2.8km but we do not fudge our launch commit criteria

launch team comms remain issue-free and silent, rocket is healthy and awaiting new L-0 timecode to be uploaded. Skies remain overcast and surface winds continue to tail the rocket out of the north but are not a concern at this time

[L-15m] count resumed as we are nearing the end of the usable window for our current upper-level wind data. We will continue up to new L-0 of 13:02 UTC and if clouds don't break we will be forced to resume holding until the next balloon ascends. Range closed. Rocket ARMED

[L-5m] Final readiness polls complete: Wx: GO, still cloudy over pad, but clear skies seen coming; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 Flight Termination System transitioning to internal power

at L-5m a kerb broke out from the spectator area screaming Monolithic verse & running for the launch pad >600m away. He made it approx 80m before a security car intercepted him, officers made an epic tackle, bundled him in to the back & drove off. Effect on final countdown: zilch

[T-1m] we are already in the terminal count, rocket is on internal power and RF comms, standing by for launch signal from the Automated Flight Control System, now in command. Skies looking good! Live launch status updates: ops.kerbalspace.agency

Away she flies atop a pillar of flame & smoke! Initial boost will hit max thrust after only 3 seconds then reduce to keep MaxQ under 80kPa during initial climb. 35s from launch stage one will decouple and send the rocket into a coast phase before stage two ignition

flight remains nominal, apokee is outside the atmosphere and final boost is underway. Clean sep of first two stages, track is right down the middle of the ascent corridor. FTS is safed

once again we have BECO-3 just milliseconds prior to exiting the atmosphere, the rocket entered space traveling at 2km/s and is now on its way up to an apokee of 476km - as expected shorter than last flight but now that rocket is same mass diff is solely on acct of >inc

apparently a number of other kerbs left the viewing areas before the launch shortly after the runner was apprehended - a larger group could therefore have been involved but if so they managed to make it off campus before anyone realized & they could be stopped for questioning

passed through apokee, rocket is now on its return voyage. Despite going high enough to reach the region of hazardous radiation instruments aboard have seen no increase the entire flight so far

system crash!! AFCS has terminated operation with a runtime error & launch control is scrambling to attempt a reboot and upload new instructions to just allow it to handle its recovery upon atmospheric entry ~7 min from now

*phew* new instructions uploaded and system has been recovered. We are thankful it was a program termination rather than a lock-up! Great job to Lanalye and her team for keeping calm and handling the situation. Let's bring it home now!

loss of signal over the horizon but last data telemetry showed things were still running nominally aboard. We can only wait and hope the computer remained functional throughout the descent to splashdown. Post-launch ops underway as we await word from MSV Tongjess

we've released the kerb detained earlier for attempting to rush the pad. Apparently he got a group of followers to attend with the goal of them all rushing the pad to overwhelm security & force a scrub of the launch (or end up as martyrs if we for some reason went ahead with it)

as to why only he ended up attempting it, he couldn't say. He suspects they all either got cold feet due to fewer # attending or had thought he was joking. We've blacklisted them all from future launches but have no real charges to bring against them that would stick in court

telemetry data from yesterday's flight is now available. Unfortunately the system crash took with it the ability to record data during some of the fall back from apokee but the flight up is what mattered most to scientists studying the radiation data docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

flight analysis from the last launch is up, including future launch plans for the Mk6, with another Block I launch at the end of this month and then two Block II launches in June between Ascension Mk1 launches in June/July kerbalspace.agency/?p=7230

the data we have so far on the hazardous radiation region in space tells us three main things:
1: it extends above 580km near the equator
2: it gets "fuzzy" around the edges with a larger area extending closer to the surface
3: it stops entirely if you travel south far enough

bit.ly/ProgenitorProg… has secured a contract for next week's launch since it will be carrying a negative gravioli instrument regardless so it weighs the same and will fly close to its mirror launch to the south

final checkouts of the Progeny Mk6-I for next week have concluded without issue. Launch base can't use the pad with the nearly-complete Ascension service tower in the way of a northward launch so it is back out in the north field where we used to launch Mk2 rockets eastward

Sheltered Rock and Ockr comm substations report they are ready to receive and relay to us telemetry data. This will serve as a test for the upcoming Ascension Mk1 flight that will follow a similar trajectory

off the normal route, tomorrow's launch vehicle heads out past Launch Control, across the runway and out to the north field to be mounted to the launch base. There's no road on the turf, so it takes almost half an hour to cover the ~2km

a new organization of scientists whose families happen to have deep pockets have declared themselves the Interstellar Exploration Foundation and have given us initial funding to help offset the cost of our Progeny MK6 Block II launches to explore the radiation region

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

5/29
#2🌅09:03:59 🌄12:30:40
#3🌅15:04:50 !?🚀?! 🌄18:31:31
#4🌅21:05:41

5/30
#1🌄00:32:22 🌅03:06:32
#2🌄06:33:13

ground crews are already at work troubleshooting the cable issues. The amount of power being delivered to the launch base is lower than expected, and data sent along the cables is not being read properly by computers at Launch Control

cabling issues have been resolved, Flight Director Lanalye confirms they have a good link to the rocket and Ops Director @dkerman_ksa has given the GO for things to get in motion for pre-launch ops to begin at 15:40 UTC, still targeting a lift off time of 19:50 UTC

[L-4h10m] the usual timeline of major events kicks off for today's launch ops. Weather this past day cycle was favorable, here's hoping it holds. Regional reports via airship & maritime vessels will give is a better idea of what conditions may be coming our way later today

[L-3h40m] Launch team briefing getting underway. Flight profile is unchanged because we want to fly a trajectory as close as possible to the one that launched 90° from this heading southward to see if the radiation readings match or deviate from that mission

[L-3h10m] we are GO for preflight operations, waking up the rocket to onload the final version of the flight code, which is identical to the previous flight except for the launch timecode change. bit.ly/AFCS_KSA

[L-2h55m] rocket is woke, power cables keeping it off batteries and data flow is clean. Systems are configured for fueling operations, FD Lanalye has given the GO for pad crew to begin hooking up the trucks and onloading 109kg of propellants to the third stage

[L-2h40m] fueling ops have wrapped, pad cleanup underway while further system checks that were on hold during fueling are conducted in Launch Control. Tank levels will be monitored to ensure no leaks in the system, power levels remain nominal

you'd have quite a ways to run if you want to try and disturb this launch (~1.5km), but no doubt everyone in the spectator areas have noticed the new security measures now in place. Let's have a safe launch today everyone!

[L-1h55m] issues board remains clear as preflight ops advance to booster engine and ignition system checks. Pad crew clearing to 300m safe distance. No bunker nearby for quick-response team means any sign of fire and the rocket will just have to be left to blow/burn up

launch craft from MSV Tongjess has arrived onshore to pickup the balloon team, which needs to release from the south while Tongjess heads north for range duties

[L-1h30m] MSV Tongjess has reported on station for the Range Safety Officer to begin assessing our launch corridor. Preflight operations have concluded with a healthy and primed rocket. No issues being worked

[L-1h20m] high-altitude balloon has been released, launch craft is only big enough for a single balloon so the crew is heading back to pick up another one in case we need to hold and require updated upper-atmosphere wind information

Tongjess has picked up a Civvie on radar approaching from Kravass but it was expected, the pilot filed the flight plan with us last week. She's contacted Tongjess and will be given regular vectors to stay clear of the ascent corridor. Happy viewings!

[L-45m] launch rehearsal is getting underway to ensure all systems are properly initialized and controllers are clear in their duties. Final runtime check of flight software will confirm rocket is ready to go

[L-30m] final countdown is GO! Rather strong surface winds out of the SE are of concern, weather kerbs expect gusts to develop after sunrise starts to heat things up but unsure as to how severe. They'll be keeping tabs on it

[L-15m] Tongjess reports range is clear, aircraft remains in contact and on assigned vector. RSO has the GO from FD Lanalye to arm the rocket and Flight Termination System. Pad is cleared and secured

[L-5m] Final readiness polls complete: Wx: GO; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 FTS transitioning to internal power, surface winds still a concern but remain within limits

[T-2m] rocket is moving to internal power and RF comms as hardlines are pulled and the AFCS takes control of the launch sequence from here on out during the terminal countdown phase. All systems remain nominal!

[T-1m] primary station status poll coming up at T-30s. If you haven't yet, tune into the Ops Tracker to see real time updates for planned staging events during ascent ops.kerbalspace.agency

we have booster ignition and the rocket has cleared the launch base on its ascent to explore space far north of the equator! Initial boost phase will end at L+35s, pitch nominal and spin-up has begun to stabilize the rocket (Minmus is hiding in the clouds)

we're seeing a slightly shallower trajectory than planned but within acceptable range. Stage seps were clean, final boost phase underway. Momentary telemetry loss due to heating on ascent, but overall flight remains nominal

back in space, despite some deviations in the ascent apokee is just 2km lower than the third flight we are looking to mirror so pleased launch controllers all around. Launch site cleanup underway as we monitor the climb to 481km

both Sheltered Rock and Ockr have confirmed with us they have acquisition of telemetry signal. For the first time in a long time we will be able to follow the rocket all the way through to landing - no waiting to find out what happens!

just about to pass through apokee and so far radiation readings have remained at 0.01rad/hr, the normal exposure for space near Kerbin. Still a possibility of passing through a hazardous radiation region on the way down

under a minute from the atmosphere, rocket is already 369km downrange - this is a potential issue as it is almost 100km further than we anticipated and will bring it down over mountainous terrain around Sheltered Rock, which means less time to slow down before chute deploy

no rad/hr increase, atmospheric interface reached at L+18m50s, rocket is coming down over terrain as high as 1km which isn't as bad as we feared but still enough to worry about. Expecting loss of signal shortly as re-entry plasma blocks radio waves

we got word from the rocket the chute was deployed, however this occurred at 1.8km ASL, which unfortunately was around 350m AGL. It would appear that an oversight in altitude monitoring has cost us this rocket. Signal lost milliseconds later due to terrain (too soon for crash)

last known location of the rocket was passed to the airship on standby at Sheltered Rock, which will depart to the location ~50km to the north to see what remains. Rocket traveled a whopping 433km downrange!

in addition to telemetry analysis (docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…), we'll be spending today assessing whether parts lost during yesterday's mission will affect next month's Block II launches as well as fixing the recovery routines in the AFCS to account for landing over high terrain

Head of Finances Mortimer is still happy with our meager income this month considering the size of our expense column and the failure to recover valuable science data from the last rocket flight. Full financial report: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

it's worth pointing out that both the Progeny Mk6 and the Ascension Mk1, in terms of power, are capable of achieving orbit. The only thing that allows the Ascension Mk1 to actually do it (relatively easier) is the fact that it can steer itself

Progeny launch base has been trucked back to the VAB so it can be strengthened to handle the extra weight of the Block II, the assembly of which remains on schedule and we hope to have the first launch date set this week

vertical stacking of the Progeny Mk6 Block II was completed today. It stands 10.7m tall, just under a meter shorter than an Ascension Mk1, some parts of which can be seen in the background getting prepped for next month's flight

load-bearing will be monitored over the weekend and then the rocket will be laid horizontal Monday for final checkouts and loading onto the carry vehicle. Launch is set for 6/20 @ 16:03 UTC with the second launch NET 6/26

VAB is so busy right now the two capsule prototypes that arrived today have just been parked outside until the Progeny Mk6-II rolls out tomorrow. The astronauts and other Ascension team members can't wait to get hands-on with them to begin assessing the designs

Ascension engine support collar has been removed and the Progeny launch base has been returned to the launch pad, strengthened to handle the extra weight and length of the Mk6 Block II. Launching direct east, service towers pose no hazard. Hopefully weather improves for launch

unfortunately the continued parts shortage means we can only ready a single balloon for the launch, which means if any delay goes to the point where we need to source new wind data, we'll have to scrub until the next day cycle for another balloon to be assembled

mounting vehicle and carry vehicle are heading out to the launch pad to get the Progeny Mk6 Block II setup on the launch base so final launch readiness checks can be carried out later today to confirm the base modifications are in working order

Tracking Station reports they are ready to support tomorrow's launch attempt. Sheltered Rock & Ockr will not play an active role in this launch, although they will still act as backups for telemetry while the rocket remains visible to them

Flight Director Lanalye says her launch team has checked out the rocket and everything looks good. She has submitted her launch readiness report along with Lead Engineer Simon on behalf of the Progenitor team

[L-5h10m] prelaunch ops are kicking off, following the exact same steps as the MK6 Block I but we've added an extra hour to preflight in case we run up against any unforeseen issues with the slightly more complex Block II. Expect updates at these milestones

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

6/20
#2🌄08:08:29 🌅10:18:50 !!🚀!!
#3🌄14:09:20 🌅16:19:41
#4🌄20:10:11 🌅22:20:32

6/21
#1🌄02:11:02 🌅04:21:23

[L-4h40m] regional weather reports are still in the process of being received and analyzed by our team of weather officials as the launch team begins to assemble in Launch Control for Flight Director Lanalye's briefing. Here is a look at the Block II ascent profile

the Block II will fly very similar to a Block I. The only real differences are the radial boosters to compensate for the extra fuel mass and the 2x longer burn time of the 3rd stage. Staging of 1st & 2nd stacked SRBs should be near similar altitudes to a Block I

[L-4h10m] we are GO to enter preflight, no signs of hazardous weather in the area. Launch team is on console waking the rocket up to load its flight software and configure for tanking. bit.ly/AFCS_Changes has details on what was modified for the Block II flight

[L-3h55m] rocket is ready to take on its fuel, all 220kg of it - 99kg of liquid fuel and 121kg of oxidizer for the final stage booster. Fuel trucks can easily still handle this with a single trip to the pad

[L-3h21m] slight issues with fueling that needed to be worked out but that was the main thing that hadn't really been rehearsed beforehand so trouble was not unexpected. We still have a buffer in the countdown & team is now moving on to continue preflight

[L-2h36m] rocket systems looking nominal, tank levels holding and pad has been cleaned up from fueling and evacuated ahead of booster engine checkouts. Quick response team has sheltered in the nearby bunker. RSO confirms rocket is not armed

back to the usual spectator layout for this launch. With the four extra boosters igniting at launch hearing protection is advised, but holding hands over ear holes should be enough if you didn't bring any gear or don't want to rent some

[L-1h57m] slightly longer engine checkout due to the additional 4 extra boosters but still within our 1hr buffer and teams are now standing by and continuing to monitor the rocket as we wait for L-1h30m to continue normal countdown operations

[L-1h30m] prelaunch ops continue as MSV Lymun has arrived for range monitoring duties while MSV Tongjess departed Umbarg earlier today to set up station 200km to the east for tracking and recovery operations

[L-1h20m] release of the high-altitude balloon to monitor upper-level wind conditions and detect any shear that could affect the rocket during its ascent. Readings will be received from the upper-atmosphere a few minutes prior to the final countdown poll at L-5min

[L-45m] inside an hour to launch and everything is setup for Flight Director Lanalye's team to run through a full launch rehearsal and ensure all systems are properly configured and all assets are in place, ready to go

[L-30m] FD Lanalye confirms all is ready, weather remains great outside and we are very much a GO for final countdown! At this stage the rocket itself is all set we just have some external tasks to complete prior to lift off

[L-15m] Range Safety Officer reports launch pad is secured and clear, MSV Lymun reports seas and airspace are clear, KSC security reports all visitors are in designated areas. Rocket boosters have been ARMED, flight termination system confirmed ACTIVE

significant computer modeling for this launch was done based on past Mk5/6 launches to help ensure a proper flight profile on this first launch attempt but RSO is still set to manually terminate the rocket's ascent if it flips over and heads west instead of east

tipping over due to aerodynamics isn't the only worry - if for some reason one of the radial boosters fails to ignite RSO will also be forced to immediately terminate the rocket - it wouldn't spin up fast enough to counter the asymmetric thrust

[L-5m] Final readiness polls complete: Wx: GO; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 FTS transitioning to internal power, running on its own battery supply that keeps it powered just long enough during ascent

[T-2m] terminal countdown has been initiated as the Automated Flight Control System takes over and preps the vehicle for launch. Ground connections are pulled out of the way of the rocket exhaust, internal batteries now supply power, RF comms check is underway

[T-1m] launch team standing by for quick primary polling at T-30s, be sure to load up our Ops Tracker if you haven't yet to get real-time updates for planned staging and flight events! Standby! ops.kerbalspace.agency

we have ignition of all 5 boosters and lift off! 140kN of thrust produces just over 6Gs of force - this plus the extra batteries near the nose should keep the rocket pointed downrange. Radial boosters will detach after just 5.5 seconds, burning fuel at 11kg/s

so much can happen in one minute! 3rd stage burn continues, chamber pressures nominal. Rocket got knocked around a bit after radial booster sep but re-stabilized and AoA constraints were not violated. Apokee is now past 70km and climbing fast. Go Progeny go!!

BECO with an apokee of 900km - and that's with 33% fuel remaining! AFCS cut off the engine so the rocket would not travel far out of 1Mm comms range nor lack enough battery power to complete the mission. Just under 16 minutes until apokee

fuel valves have been re-opened to purge the tanks of remaining fuel so rocket is as light as possible upon return. Radiation levels have climbed to peak 10.01rad/hr seen on previous flights - we will see how things fare past our last altitude record of 581km

we are through!! Radiation levels have fallen to "normal" 0.01rad/hr as the rocket moved beyond 713km. Lead Scientist Cheranne and R&D Head Wernher are dancing around with excitement to have entered into a new region of space above our planet

nearing apokee, rocket has traveled only 133km downrange - its speed has dropped so low relative to Kerbin the surface is beginning to rotate faster underneath so it's not moving away from us over land by much anymore

we have passed through apokee, battery levels are at 56% so rocket will have power throughout its descent although chutes would have been armed to deploy by pressure sensor if AFCS had to shut down due to lack of power during flight

rocket is still on the long journey back down. Atmospheric interface will occur in ~10 minutes. MSV Tongjess will by now have plotted the rocket's landing area to within 15km and should be moving off its initial station to place itself in recovery position

radiation levels have returned to 10.01rad/hr as the rocket falls back through the hazardous radiation region, which scientists now strongly believe circles our entire planet around the equator, given that we never fail to encounter it no matter when we launch

although a small precession in the rocket's spin was present as it left the atmosphere, the mission has run long enough for it to eventually lay the rocket out almost flat, spinning like the needle in a compass

within a minute the rocket will slam sideways into the atmosphere at >2km/s rather than engine first. Slight concern over this, but the last time it happened (ops.kerbalspace.agency) everything turned out okay so - fingers crossed!

loss of signal as expected - rocket entered 250km downrange so we won't know of its fate until MSV Tongjess sails back in range to contact us via skip comms after witnessing its demise or recovering it from the water. We wait!

review of launch video footage has shown what made the rocket register a wobble in its AoA during booster separation. That's maybe a problem that will need to be solved? Did not seem to be the cause of instability seen later in flight youtube.com/watch?v=VvNUBu…

✨🎉 KERZZAH!! 🎊✨ MSV Tongjess is on its way back, close enough to report they sighted the rocket breaking up on re-entry but after the fuel tanks and engine ripped away the probe core upwards remained intact, deployed chute and splashed down at L+37m10s

in addition to the new bit.ly/KSARecords for altitude set yesterday we've also designated the Progeny Mk6 our most successful rocket to date, maintaining a 100% success rate so far over 6 missions

if we take the data from when the Progeny Mk6 Block II engine was cut off and use our trajectory software to complete the burn with the remaining dV the apokee ends up being nearly 3.5Mm!! That's nearly 1/3 of the way to Mun! How we would power a mission that long, no idea

Interstellar Exploration Foundation has confirmed our achievement of passing through the radiation region yesterday and have awarded us the full 25,000 fund purse to enable additional Progeny Mk6 Block II launches that will see what lies further beyond

bulk of the Progeny Mk6 Block II flight analysis will be focused on what caused the rocket to become so unstable late in the ascent. Initial booster detach wobble appeared to be zeroed out, stack staging seemed to be more disruptive than on Block I flights

Head of Finances Mortimer is pleased to see we pulled off another month of profit, although he is still concerned it's mainly due to the large grant from the Interstellar Exploration Foundation docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

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

🌅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

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…

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

the last episode, back in 2016, lasted several days. Hopefully this one is shorter. Either way, both Progeny launches are now suspended and will be assigned new launch dates once we can comfortably resume surface activity twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

Lead Engineer Simon was not feeling well yesterday so was not around to sign off on the Progeny Mk6 Block I flight analysis but it is now available online. Flight itself was uneventful, nice to see air brakes work as expected tho! kerbalspace.agency/?p=7781

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

VAB crews are prepping the next Progeny Mk6-I for vertical stacking today. How far along they manage to get picking up from where they left off will let us determine when to schedule the next launch. Here's a look at the new payload configuration during final checks last week

Tracking Station reports it is ready for tomorrow's launch. Pad crews have inspected and cleared the launch base of issues. VAB has the rocket stacked & by the end of the day it should be back horizontal for final closeouts to be performed early tomorrow ahead of rollout

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-4)

7/31
#2🌄10:17:41 🌅12:38:14
#3🌄16:18:32 🌅18:39:05 !!🚀!!
#4🌄22:19:23

8/1
#1🌅00:39:56 🌄04:20:14
#2🌅06:40:47

final closeouts were completed earlier today for the Progeny Mk6 Block I set to launch in several hours, it has been loaded up onto the carry vehicle and will soon be on its way out to the launch pad for mounting. Pre-launch ops begin at 19:14 UTC!

[L-4h10m] kicking off pre-launch operations as weather reports begin to get gathered at Launch Control, sourced from weather stations, airships and maritime vessels (not ours, just operating in the region). Updates to come at these major milestones in the countdown timeline

[L-3h40m] launch team is getting ready for final briefing from Flight Director Lanalye on their mission today, which is another routine flight to high Kerbin space. This will be the first rocket to launch carrying a living payload: two mystery goo containment units

the mystery goo will be exposed in space beneath the radiation layer and while within the radiation layer. The two canisters closely match the mass of the payload truss & batteries they replaced so we don't expect any large changes to rocket behavior in flight

[L-3h10m] we are GO to begin pre-flight operations as weather reports show no storms in the area. Crew out on the pad are switching on the rocket so controllers can begin loading the flight software - you can see what has been updated here: bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog

[L-2h55m] tanking operations are GO after the rocket has been initialized and configured. Tanker trucks on the pad are already hooking up one at a time to deliver 109kg of liquid propellants to the third stage booster

[L-2h40m] countdown continues on schedule with no issues arising during tanking operations. Rocket is topped off and fuel levels will be monitored for leaks as pad crews secure the launch site and further preflight checks are carried out on the vehicle systems

reminders to all visitors here to see the launch that hearing protection is not required, but staying within the designated areas most certainly is. Also don't forget the rocket will be ascending into a rising sun and eye protection is recommended

[L-1h55m] crews are evacuating the launch site ahead of controllers working through their final preflight checks, which include the engine & ignition systems. Quick response team sheltering in the nearby bunker should any anomalous event occur

[L-1h30m] FD Lanalye reports we have a healthy rocket, primed and ready to go! Focus now moves off the launch vehicle and to external setup as MSV Lymun works with the Range Safety Officer from its offshore station to ensure our launch corridor is clear

[L-1h20m] high-altitude KerBalloon has begun its ascent from out in the Grasslands west of KSC. It will drift eastwards on the winds and let us know if any upper-level shear will be a danger to today's launch as we approach final polling

[L-45] all systems and assets are setup and in place for launch controllers to run through a mock-launch rehearsal to ensure everything is configured and everyone knows their roles and responsibilities during the flight. FD Lanalye likes to throw in some surprises too most times

[L-30m] final countdown is a GO as weather continues to look great with light surface winds out of the west and mostly clear skies. Sun will be rising soon, but you can still see Eve & Duna - Mun, Jool & Sarnus are also visible higher up out of this photo

[L-15m] Flight Termination System has been activated ahead of booster arming - rocket is now ready for ignition. RSO will maintain vigilance over pad and launch corridor for any incursions, which will immediately hold the count

all quiet in Launch Control as final checks are carried out on a few systems that can only be cleared while the rocket is armed. No issues being worked, everyone else getting ready for final polling at L-5m

[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. 300km downrange today we should have MSV Hoodall standing by for rocket re-entry tracking & recovery

[T-2m] terminal countdown has begun, with the AFCS taking over full control of the rocket. Ground connections are pulled - battery power drain rates are being monitored and RF comm checks are underway

[T-1m] nominal battery drain rate and good comms moving into the final minute of countdown, which will have one last poll of primary stations at T-30s and both auto & manual hold capability runs all the way up to T-0. Stand by! ops.kerbalspace.agency

we have booster ignition and a good lift off! Rocket is soaring high into the sky atop a pillar of flame, leaving the launch site with a thrust of 67.2kN for 4Gs of acceleration. First stage burn will last 34 seconds & push the rocket up to >600m/s and ~15km ASL