Progeny Mk8 Timeline

@LemonKiwiCherry Very pleased with USI. They got us to space, could maybe get us to orbit too but not with anything substantial hence the Ascension program. A potential Progeny Mk7 design might deliver LKO cubesats in the future tho

in related news however scientists have released a new post detailing the findings of the recent Progeny flights in regards to the hazardous radiation region, now closer to being called a "belt" - kerbalspace.agency/?p=7542

TL;DR - we can well-define a "no go" region for future space missions that leaves plenty of room in LKO for kerbed space flight, but there still may be some challenges to advancing further out towards Mun if the radiation discovered at the poles extends far out into space

what are we hoping to achieve in 2020? Last week we shared details on Extremis goals and now we have information for the rest of our programs in this report: kerbalspace.agency/?p=10258 what are you most looking forward to from us in 2020?

unfortunately integration issues prevented us from using the Parallel Control Unit as planned to begin experimenting with backup flight computers. This will attempt to instead be integrated with the Progeny Mk7-C later this year twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

eventually we will have satellites in orbit for years at a time, which will require operations by separate teams. Until now the launch control team also handled mission control since the missions don't overlap the next launch. Moving forward the teams will become more specialized

our bi-weekly Ops Summary has more information on Alaba's latest trajectory analysis and also details on a recent announcement that Umbra Space Industries, long-time supplier for our Progenitor rockets, has gone bankrupt! kerbalspace.agency/?p=10937

rail depot at the end of the tracks coming from Umbarg has been completed, making for a high-capacity cargo link between us and the nearest underground cavern. The train will also be used occasionally to transport kerbs and large rocket parts

news just came in that Umbra Space Industries, our long-time partner for Progenitor rocket parts that went bankrupt earlier this year, has been bought up - a deal that has been rumored for some time now. More information is expected to be released next month

this was an exciting week, make sure you didn't miss anything by check out our weekly Ops Summary on the website, where we have some speculation on the USI sale. We hope everyone has a relaxing weekend! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11062

we finally know the name of our new rocket supplier - Luciole! They will be meeting with us later this month to discuss plans for future Progenitor rockets, are committed to a 0.625m orbital launch vehicle & are also continuing to develop a 0.625m aerospike engine

the Ops Summary is back and we will try to stick to the weekly format again moving forward. Learn more details about what went down these past two weeks and catch anything you may have missed: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11093

the Progeny Mk7-C, which was to be a full 0.625m stack rocket based on current and scaled up USI parts, will now be the Mk8, debuting in early 2021 comprised entirely of 0.625m Luciole parts and will be the first rocket to feature clustered & all gimbaled engines - no fins!

here are the @LucioleSpace engines to scale next to the 1.25m WildCat-V. The Skeeter fits in a 0.4m^3 area & will be in a cluster of 7 on a 0.625m engine mount. The Firefly is a vacuum-optimized 0.625m engine built to carry the payload up into orbit. Both will be tested in-house

while we've set initial dates for the first two (of four) Mk7-B launches, mission objectives are still being finalized now that the Mk7-C is shelved and there will not be a direct continuation to the Mk8. Expect time/date confirmation & Ops Tracker mission details next week

get caught up on KSA operations to ensure you don't miss what's currently going on at the KSC campus: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11128 plus even a bit more we couldn't squeeze in to the news card. Everyone have a great weekend!

big spending this month is what we want to see, working hard to get Ascension closer to being able to accept full commercial launch contracts. CFO Mortimer says we are still looking healthy to continue operations as planned thru 2020. Full report: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

there could be three pads with a smaller one added for Progeny. It all depends on how much trouble it would be to use the current pad GSE for both Progeny & smaller Ascension or even if any smaller Ascension would still be flying to compete with pad use

✨🎊 Happy Operational Anniversary KSA!! 🎉✨

🎂🎂🎂🎂

Yes we have been underway now for 4 years. Our founder and Ops Director @DKerman_KSA would like you to know what could be in store for our future - please read his statement on our website: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11270

Luciole has begun testing its Skeeter LF/O engine, which is small enough for them to handle internally, at least until they need to start being clustered. But first, just making sure a single one can be produced and run properly. A promising start!

bank account remains stable as CFO Mortimer releases our Sept financial report. We're looking good for the remainder of the year. Thanks to all our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon supporters helping to keep us afloat! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

to give the rocket teams the time needed to integrate the refurbished booster the launch has been delayed to 10/29 @ 17:45 UTC. We're also going to use the extra time to put an actual payload on this rocket from Luciole Space Systems to further test future Mk8 tech

we hope everyone has a great weekend but before you log off be sure to get caught up on all the cool and exciting things that have transpired over the past to weeks here at the Kerbal Space Agency: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11318

the probe will be separated from the rocket after MECO so its internal reaction wheels can be tested. The RTG will be non-functional as we plan to crash this after uncontrolled re-entry to see what survives as part of our research into disposability

it may be only 4 calendar years since we started the KSA but in that time Kerbin has orbited the sun 14 times as of today! There are also still 4 outer planets starting with Sarnus that have not even completed a single orbit around Kerbol yet (Sarnus' 1st orbit ends 11/2024)

it's not time yet for everyone to enjoy the weekend - majority of Kerbin II operations team will be at it until late today - but if it's time for you to log off already be sure to first catch up on major events from these last two weeks: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11332

CFO Mortimer has posted our Oct finances and we've scraped out yet another profit. Wait, who's laughing? Oh, that would be Wernher von Kerman with his huge 2021 R&D budget proposal, not to mention looming R&D costs for Mk3 development. But for now - green! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

be sure to check our bi-weekly Ops Summary to catch up on the big happenings here at the KSA and even if you've been following along closely you'll likely still find new info as we elaborate on these events. Everyone have a good weekend! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11375

3 Skeeter engines have arrived to begin cluster testing out on the static stand next week. They will start out widely-spaced so they don't impinge on each other & we can just assess any problems with fuel delivery to multiple engines twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

the 0.35m aerospike engine developed by USI was also able to put out 12kN thrust, which shows how promising the tech is and why Luciole has bought USI and all its research so it can continue to work on developing a 0.625m version - no idea when or if that will succeed yet however

as expected, this week so far has been spent by the Progeny Mk8 development team working through issues feeding multiple engines on the vertical test stand. Good news is all fire, it's just keeping them all running at the same time that remains an issue

plenty of exciting things to recount & expound upon from these past 2wks, so be sure to check our Ops Summary this weekend while you are kicking back to relax - at least we hope you are! What are your plans? Our crew will be off on a wilderness excursion kerbalspace.agency/?p=11398

Progeny Mk8 team is finally getting consistent firing on all 3 engines for full burn duration of 1m12s (with 7 engines). Now that the plumbing is worked out, time to start moving them closer together to see how the plume interaction and heat affect the engines

CFO Mortimer has updated our financial sheet with Nov's earnings - or lack thereof as expected. Commercial rocket contracts are on the horizon though! Net profit in 2021? More like '22-23 perhaps. But next year would be nice... docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Skeeter engine cluster testing continues on our vertical test stand for the Progeny Mk8. We've now moved from the initial spaced out triplet to the straight-line config, next step will be a tight cluster then going up to 5 (yellow) and finally a full seven (green) by next month

while this is of course an unfortunate end to an unfortunate string of events to close out 2020, we are happy that no one was injured and 2 of the missions still have payloads that can have another chance to head to space in 2021 - maybe even aboard a Progeny Mk8 instead!

we'd be in final countdown now if the Progeny Mk6-II were still launching. Kerbin II passed north of KSC (yellow dot) about an hour ago and sent down this pic, showing us near the center of a high-pressure system. what a shame to miss out on such nice weather!

we have fired the 3 Skeeter engines successfully in a tight cluster. Two more will be arriving at the end of the month for testing to resume with 5 engines in January. So far these 3 engines have been fired 46 times, making this our most rigorous engine test campaign to date twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

our final Ops Summary for 2020 has been published! What an amazing year it has been, despite our troubles towards the end. Thank you everyone for your support, have a safe holiday season and we hope you too are aiming high for 2021! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11442

financial report for December has been posted by CFO Mortimer, who will also be working this week on our year-end report to publish at the start of next month. It and our past months/yrs of finances are always publicly available here bit.ly/KSA_Finances

our 1st WildCat-V engine has arrived for qualification trials to begin next month during the period we'll be adding two final engines to the Progeny Mk8 cluster, freeing up the vertical test stand. We hope to certify it ready for flight by March if no troubles present themselves

the Mk7-B helped qualify the reusable boosters for the upcoming Ascension Mk3 as well as paving the way for the Progeny Mk8 with thrust vector control guidance. Ironically our Progeny Mk6 missions, technically the easiest, did not fare well

all staff and crew are due back at KSC today to begin our 2021 operational year! Here's the new photo that adorns our various social media profiles and website header. This year the only changes planned so far are to expand the Support Village for more on-campus housing

full financial report for 2020 is now available as its own sheet, the regular link will continue to carry monthly updates through this year. We hope to continue to see growth in 2021 as more and more commercial space contracts become available docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

the payload recovered from the failed Mk6-I mission will be integrated into the test mass that will fly on the first Progeny Mk8. Dates for that launch and those for Ascension in Q1 will be locked in next week as Lead Engineer Simon's team gets back up to speed this week

Q1 launch schedule now filled - save the dates! Additional info via our bit.ly/KSA_Programs page on the website (now with entries for the Mk3 & 8) or the bit.ly/Ops_Tracker. The Mk3, 1 & 8 missions are all pivotal in deciding how we move forward the rest of the year!

with several successful test runs completed over the past two weeks firing 5 clustered Skeeter engines we are ready to move up to a full complement of 7. While the reconfig is underway the WildCat-V will take a turn on the stand to begin its qualification trials

it's time for our first Ops Summary of 2021 - are we two weeks into the new year already?? Learn more about what is in store for the first quarter of this year that will set the stage for the remainder of our planned operations - kerbalspace.agency/?p=11531

anyone notice the change to the Progenitor program patch? We've offset Kerbin to show it from the greater heights the program can now achieve & a starry background helps to contrast the dark color of the launch vehicles. Basic design remains of course - upwards!!

by coincidence the MK8 has 8 engines, the most of any launch vehicle so far. Its launch base fits perfectly on the Mobile Launch Platform with only minor modifications. It will be constructed in the HAB then mounted for launch in the VAB

initial WildCat-V static fires showed good data, but we said that last time too. While analysis is ongoing it will be replaced on the vertical test stand with the Progeny Mk8 cluster outfitted with all 7 engines for the final round of tests. All these engines will fly the 1st Mk8

the upper Progeny Mk8 Mantis stage that was shown testing last year at Luciole's facility has arrived at KSC via the cargo rail and is on its way to the HAB to be integrated with its flight hardware - RCS, reaction wheels, avionics, batteries, etc. for launch next month

kerzzah! ✨🥂 A happy 15th kerbolar anniversary to us all here at the KSA. Yes, in the time since the Agency has started operations we have traveled around Kerbol 15 times now for a total distance of 1,280,470,886km! Which sounds impressive but is barely over 1 light hour

a bunch of stats about the career of the Progeny Mk6 and more details from these past two weeks await you in our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11574 we hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

all the major components are now in place with the arrival of the payload stage from our Umbarg HQ. The Progeny Mk8 remains on schedule to be fully integrated for launch later this month on 2/25. HAB now gearing up for some major plumbing work to get those engines on...

a full investigation into the destruction of CFO Mortimer's computer has shown it was indeed bad electrical wiring and it looks like the problems that have been affecting the Admin Bldg for a while now will require some serious overhaul, tho no effect to ongoing operations

CFO Mortimer has finally been able to post our first financial report for 2021 covering the month of January. Commercial success this year hinges on the Ascension Mk3 & Progeny Mk8 being able to accept contracts, from which we can extract profit: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

if you missed anything important these past two weeks that is not Ascension Mk3 related you can find more info on these events in our Ops Summary, including Ascension Mk3 info. If weather cooperates, prelaunch will kick off tomorrow @ 13:38 UTC! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11606

at this time we do not know the nature of the threat or the time frame, but given that we have suffered an attack in the past (kerbalspace.agency/?p=9965) we have no choice but to take this seriously & deal with the relatively minor inconvenience compared to a potential loss of life