Dhumla Timeline

we got in a few flights this year before the Genesis program was shuttered. Fixed-wing aircraft development remains alive with C7 Aerospace Division and missions like those previously flown by Cdr Val & Cpt Jeb are now handled by a growing pool of commercial aviators

Mk1-B capsule has undergone recovery trials while already on the ground/water, now it's time to drop it out the back of a Dhumla and test actual chute deployment and landing/splashdown. This is done late in testing since it runs the highest risk of damaging the capsule

earlier at 3rd sunrise a Dhumla departed KSC, seen zoomed in from the opposite runway end. The commercial airport expansion has increased air traffic in the area three-fold since Genesis shut down & has been a boon to industry in the nearby cavern of Umbarg

a Dhumla taxis in at the Kongo research base carrying equipment and some team members for the high-altitude KerBalloon crew, who will be setting up shop there for the next month to run an extended balloon release campaign for better data on weather patterns in the region

high-altitude KerBalloon team are hopping on a Dhumla flight out to Ockr where they will then take an airship out to bit.ly/Sector_M-J8B4 for their release. Fixed-wing flight predictably starting to take over for inter-regional travel

Genesis ended as our 2nd-most successful and profitable program behind KerBalloon, giving us 33,413 funds in net income that will now go towards rocket development. Here are some more impressive stats from nearly 4 years of operation

all 3 aircraft developed under the program will continue to be produced and flown of course, and we look forward to seeing what the teams at C7 come up with in the future! Wernher's R&D dept is still partnered with C7 Aerospace Division to work on jet technology

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…

high-altitude KB crew are loading up to fly out to the Kongo, with 2 Dhumlas to carry UTVs and supplies. Crew will fly out in Deuces. Though none are our own aircraft, this is still the first time using no airships for mission transport! Not always cheaper, but progressive

income is back in the red for June as expected but nearly as bad as CFO Mortimer feared, leaving us in good shape to push forward full-steam ahead for the remainder of the year. You can always review our latest monthly report on yearly finances here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

why are these hangars not enclosed like the small ones you ask? Good question! The airship barons, in their settlement against the aircraft industry (kerbalspace.agency/?p=8988) won some petty privileges, one of which was only airships can be kept in large full surface enclosures

May finances have been published (docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…). The centrifuge has been paid off and we have built up a bit more spending capital to hopefully finally put to use this month. We hope to lose money in June cause then we'd be exploring hard!

financial report for April is now available (docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…) are we happy with this months earnings? Not really, because we want to be spending this money on space missions! We continue be thankful though for our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon contributors!

CFO Mortimer has published our latest financial report, which shows us eating - nay, gorging on the profits we made in Feb thanks to the orbital Kerbin I mission. Another reason to pause ops - rocket flights not yet sustainable. Full report: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

💫 KERZZAH! ☀ - 12 times we have now traveled around Kerbol since the KSA was founded - at 1,025,316,660.821km distance traveled we are just 3 light minutes shy of a light hour's travel time over the same distance. Spaceship Kerbin is tooling along at a constant 9.28km/s

earning the orbital prize purse not only made Feb a profitable month but secured our financial future - at least through the remainder of this year. By that time we hope to be placing commercial payloads into orbit! Full financial report: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Kerbin I has come home! There was a lot more of the probe that survived re-entry than expected, which will make for interesting post-flight analysis. Lead Scientist Cheranne & her team with the high-alt KB crew are set to depart aboard this Dhumla when it heads back to the Kongo

Dhumla cargo aircraft has landed, carrying this month's second & final Boosterton SRB for test firing. After it is unloaded the Kerbin I recovery crew will load up with their equipment and fly out to the Kongo to prepare to hunt down the impending impact site

congratulations to C7 Aerospace Division - their hard work on independently-continued Dhumla development have allowed the aircraft to reach full ASA flight certification & officially enter into service with the cargo industry. We look forwards to seeing them passing through KSC!

monthly financial report has been released by CFO Mortimer - lightning towers, centrifuge, pad repairs - lots of large infrastructure expenses this month. We expect to burn money the first half of this year but not as much as January (we hope) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

ahead of the new commercial airport expansion, both turf runways have been decommissioned so work can begin to create the raised ground upon which will reside a new hangar tarmac, ATC tower, taxiways and a new runway. They have served us well!

#OTD in 2019 we wheeled the Dhumla out of the hangar for the very first time. The largest and most complex plane yet built, it is still undergoing flight certification although it is at last in the final stages of becoming a vital asset to the cargo industry this year

great question. We were wondering if anyone would ask why no parallel runways but this is another reason besides winds changing a lot near the water. Aircraft can still take off/land on Rwy 03/21 even during launch operations

KSC is about to get a lot bigger! Here is the final plan for the commercial airport expansion project that will begin construction this month and finish up by August. Work on the new railway tunnel from Umbarg continues on schedule to be complete in early March

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?

the Dhumla prototype takes to the sky from the Kongo River base on yet another test flight as it nears full certification & the start of production. This aircraft will be a game-changer for shipping, hauling less cargo than an airship but up to 4x as fast

CFO Mortimer has compiled his report for December as well as all of 2019 to show that we actually managed to pull off a small profit this past year. Kerzzah! Still quite a ways from net gain but a promising step towards commercial success  docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

KSA 2020 ops are kicking off this week with meetings! Lots and lots of meetings as the various programs decide on their goals for the coming year, which we will report on over the course of this week. Admin makes final decisions but all team members contribute

welcome to 2020!! 🎉🥂 Kerbs are eager to get back to work next week, so much so that Operations Director @DKerman_KSA revoked access privileges to force some to take a vacation. We're not naming names but their initials start with Wernher von Kerman

check it out - 2019 was the first full calendar year that saw continuous operations! We did take a few hits this year that reduced our operational capacity but KSC was not shut down for any extended period of time. Here's looking to a stronger 2020!

aircraft operations decreased significantly from 42 missions last year however flight duration and range both increased, plus Jeb & Val were mostly busy with Ascension then we lost two pilots as well which didn't help. Still, a decent accounting this year for Genesis

the Dhumla has just received its preliminary flight certification from the Air Safety Administration. Flight testing continues but the design of the aircraft is locked in for manufacturing to begin production models at C7's plant in Kravass

CFO Mortimer is happy that we managed to squeeze out a slight profit last month! Thanks as always to our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon supporters for their help as well, with a new record for donations this month docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

✨KERZZAH!✨ today we get to celebrate our 11th trip around Kerbol on space ship Kerbin since the KSA began operations back in 2016. That brings our celestial odometer up to 939,011,983.1456km or nearly 1 light hour. Here's to another 106.5 day trip around the sun 🥂

we loaded up the Dhumla with cargo for the first time earlier today & it just successfully departed for the Kongo River research facility where it will conduct the remainder of its flight trials and overall development under sole oversight of C7 Aerospace Division

thanks to increasing support from our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon donors, CFO Mortimer says all the unplanned expenses of Oct in addition to some new R&D didn't leave us as deep in the red as we could have been. Financial report is available here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

although the rocket sled track is still being dismantled for shipping to the Kongo, enough runway is clear for the Dhumla to complete ground trials ahead of flight later this week, under command of a C7 flight crew that arrived over the weekend from Kravass

the radome has been completed on the tall hills west of KSC and will be hooked up to the Tracking Station by tomorrow, which means we can return to KSC next week! Due to security, it's tough working remotely for engineering and R&D teams w/o full file access

new external sensors from R&D were being installed under the wings of the Deuce last week. Lead Engineer Simon plans to finish up once KSC is re-opened and allow the Genesis program to pioneer new territory in weather analysis by flying through storm systems

TL;DR (it is a lot to take in) - our current stance is to work to determine all the details of how this attack was carried out and put in place measures to prevent future attempts. We are not backing down nor is any action yet able to be taken against those responsible

September may have been a rough month financially, but we remain in decent standing with just enough funds to complete our planned operations for the year. Thanks as always to our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon supporters! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

the Mobile Launch Platform continues to work towards completion, with the main deck being finalized this week. Anyone notice something different not in the original design renders? Also, the Dhumla continues to be built towards completion next month as well

we've kept Tedman listed as Injured ever since the crash and he's finally made the request to have his status changed to Retired. Sad as we are to see him "officially" go, we recognize this is an important step on his road to healing & continue to wish him all the best

learn more about today's decision to delay the Mk2 orbital attempt in our weekly Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9801 Have a great weekend everyone, and we look forward to this one especially at KSC. Anyone know why?

wrap it up folks, weekend is here! Get caught up on all our operations this past week with additional details via our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9767 it's been mostly crummy weather all week so let's all hope for a turn-around this weekend

many continued thanks to our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon donors for getting us into the green this past month! August financial report is available here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d… we expect to see narrow margins for the remainder of the year

the research station near the source of the Kongo has already established itself as a frontier scientific outpost for the region, and now activity can increase due to faster service from fixed-wing aircraft, tho airships still provide cargo transport for large shipments

C7 has begun to build their new Dhumla aircraft at their Kravass plant, altho the wings and airframe will still be shipped here to undergo final assembly in the HAB, until C7 can get their own surface facility built early next year with the construction of the new Kravass airport

our gains in July are thanks solely to our success in putting a kerbal in space. Now we have to again stave off bankruptcy with a successful orbital insertion later this year, an endeavor the majority of our remaining funds are dedicated to. No pressure! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

C7 Aerospace Division's manufacturing arm has finally satisfied the initial Civvie production demand from back in 2017 and has begun to convert some of its build space to Deuce and Dhumla production at both plants in Kravass and Sheltered Rock

the ASA report on the Dhumla crash back in May has been released & we've summarized the findings here: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9339 TL;DR - pilot error was the sole cause. Aldeny was responsible but not without redemption. New Dhumla will be built for further development under C7 only

allow us to remind everyone that bit.ly/KSA_Patreon is a way to help directly fund operations - more money means more rockets means more launches means more exploration! Of course, responsibility still lies with us to also produce viable commercial launch vehicles

we've received the Dhumla flight data recorder from the ASA as they begin to conclude their investigation. Genesis program will analyze its contents however we will not be releasing our own report and continue to wait for the official ASA accident investigation report

today marks our 6th revolution around Kerbol since the founding of the Kerbal Space Agency! 🥂 Here's a look back at some of what we managed to get done in our 1st revolution. Look backwards in the album for more flickr.com/photos/kerbal_…

did you miss anything this week? Be sure you're all caught up with our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9196 Weekend goal for everyone - including you: spend some time sitting out under a clear night sky gazing into infinity and pondering the endless mysteries of the universe

Tedman was not in command of the flight at the time of the crash but that does not necessarily clear him of any wrongdoing. Investigators have now concluded their crew/witness interviews but are still carefully examining the aircraft itself for any attributing problems

CFO Mortimer is pleased with our gains in May, but we will still be struggling these next few months to afford the test launches needed to draw in more commercial partners and thus more money. it's a vicious balancing game. Full report: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Tedman was moved to the outpatient ward today. Doctors have repaired all they can & say it's now up to him - they expect he could possibly fly again one day if he commits himself fully to physical therapy but they can't be sure. Tedman says he will though and we believe him!

despite our promise to stay committed to fixed-wing aircraft after the crash of the Dhumla, lack of funds may force us to cut back on our participation via the Genesis program. Regardless, C7 Aerospace has pledged to continue development even without us

Flight Officer Aldeny was laid to rest today at Ockr. Kerbs don't believe in an afterlife so we will have to carry on his memory with our actions in the land of the living. @DKerman_KSA was in attendance with Genesis team & all pledged to continue the work Aldy started. RIP ✨🌠

everyone is ready for a relaxing weekend after such a busy week! Be sure you're caught up with everything and learn even more details via our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9127

we've updated Flight Officer Aldeny's background information on his crew member page (click the bottom of his portrait) to properly reflect his nearly 1 year of service with the KSA. Head on over to review all his achievements and missions ops.kerbalspace.agency/?crew=aldy

Dhumla crash site has been cleaned up and moved to an offsite location for further analysis. ASA says they will hand over the data from the aircraft flight recorder to us & C7 once they have properly analyzed it, to ensure there is no tampering with evidence

we are all still reeling from the events of yesterday. Aldeny will be a sorely missed ray of sunshine around campus - his energetic personality could motivate anyone. Altho it's hard, we must push on in his memory. Our Ops Summary has details on that: kerbalspace.agency/?p=9083

Tedman update: downgraded to serious condition after he spent several more hours in surgery and will still need additional procedures over time but doctors report they at least saw him regain consciousness for a short time and does not appear to show signs of paralysis

valve was repaired, not replaced so further testing can be done to better understand how it failed in the first place if it fails again. Ground crews will roll the aircraft out for flight tomorrow, which will also include a cross-country trip to KGA for a touch & go

question we get often is whether our aircraft have autopilots. Not completely. They can hold roll/pitch/yaw but cannot hold altitude or heading nor navigate to a location. So aircraft can be flown hands-off to minimize crew workload but still needs to be trimmed & told what to do

there is still a ton of redacted information about the whole airship/C7 legal battle but apparently peace terms have been arranged and everyone can get back to business. Here's what we know and how things have been affected: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8988

HAB workers are getting the hangar cleaned up & the K2-X engine investigation is moving all its material offsite as it wraps up work and hopes to release results in a few days. Dhumla will be getting a full check-over this week in preparation for flight tests to resume next week

a relatively mundane week here at the KSC but as always exciting things are on the horizon. Catch anything you may have missed or find more details on what transpired in our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8969

all C7 Aerospace employees have been given a 2-week notice... that they'll be returning to work! Still lots of gag orders going around and closed-door judicial sessions but Ops Dir @DKerman_KSA has been invited to Sheltered Rock next week. Hopefully for some answers at last

end of the week is here at last! Catch anything you may have missed in our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8916 we suggest all our rocketry crews get some rest this weekend - launch campaign for the next Ascension mission kicks off in earnest next week!

note that our profits for March would have been even more marginal if not for our Patreon donors, so thank you! Pledge your support of the KSA and help us continue to explore: patreon.com/KerbalSpaceAge… every little bit can make a difference!

the report is a good sign because an attempt by the government to contain this would have been disastrous. Still, while it's being made known that this is happening there's still been no official word on *why*. We'll be sure to continue to share whatever info we can

there have been ongoing closed-door judicial sessions regarding the C7 Aerospace case. Executives remain "detained" in Sheltered Rock however furloughed employees have begun to recently receive pay again - so it's still completely & frustratingly unclear what's going on

recap and learn more about the events from this past week via our Ops Summary, including the return of a Desk Note now that @DKerman_KSA is back from his trip to Sheltered Rock kerbalspace.agency/?p=8811

C7 Aerospace continues to suffer from lack of executive management and the company remains effectively shut down. @DKerman_KSA has returned from Sheltered Rock with few answers. What the government is keeping a lid on, no one knows still but it's a tight lid

bit.ly/FebFinances report posted. Last month we nearly recouped our losses from January, thanks in part to our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon subscribers. Become a Space Envoy today and help support the KSA!

rumor is the C7 fiasco is related to their finances. Given our partnership, Head of Finances Mortimer is double-checking all our books, especially since we need to make a large purchase order to replace parts that have been lost/damaged over the past few months

Ops Director @DKerman_KSA has been mostly stone-walled in Sheltered Rock attempting to get some answers on the whole C7 debacle. Learn more along with what else went on this week in our Ops Summary: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8798

we have learned all we know from the press conference just held: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8781 this will have an immediate impact on fixed-wing flight here at the Cape, however the long-term impact is still largely speculative since more details have yet to be released by authorities

our week of operations has concluded, be sure to check out our Weekly Ops Report to get all the information on what has transpired: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8769 (BTW new altitude record is 8.683km ASL)

Dhumla has been cleared to continue flight trials. Aldeny & Tedman have been putting extra hours into the sim, which is now even better thanks to actual flight data. Weather forecast for tomorrow looks poor until after 3rd sunset, so possible flight after 3rd sunrise

despite his best attempt and time in the sim, Aldeny still brought the aircraft down pretty roughly. Aircraft maintenance crews already say they want to have a look at the undercarriage today into tomorrow before she flies again

weather continues to fail to cooperate and torrential rain is now moving through the area as expected. Conditions tomorrow are looking better but still not 100% and everyone wants to remove as many potential issues from the testing as possible. Still, fingers crossed!

HAB crew is wrapping up Dhumla repairs & modifications from the last flight test and the aircraft will be rolled out by the end of today. Forecast for tomorrow indicates a chance of high winds & rain but flight crew will be ready to go if conditions turn out to be favorable

report from the HAB is Dhumla repairs/modifications are finishing up and it will be ready for more flight trials early next week. Meanwhile the Deuce is also wrapping up its engines overhaul and general servicing to return to flight readiness the following week

looking ahead we're still waiting on C7 R&D, working in conjunction with a team from Wernher von Kerman, to finish developing the first prototype jet engine this year. The jet aircraft will fall under their own program, which will be announced in conjunction w/ the turbine reveal

next launch attempt is ready for operations to begin tomorrow @ 13:08 UTC - 🚀 GO PROGENY! 🚀 catch up on everything else that happened this past week and also learn more about the strange weather from yesterday: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8592

modifications and repairs to the aircraft are expected to take 2-3 weeks so hopefully we can get in another test flight before the end of the month. In better news, the overall flight data was extremely satisfying to engineers & the aircraft looks solid when aloft

the Dhumla will shortly be parked back in the HAB and have engineers and mechanics swarming all over it. Sometime tomorrow we should know more about its condition and how pleased designers are (or aren't) with its flight performance after reviewing the test data

nearing 3rd sunrise and weather still not looking favorable enough for a Dhumla test flight. We want extremely good weather conditions so will have to remain patient and ensure the aircraft & crew have the best chance at success

so ends this week of operations. Catch up on anything you may have missed via our Ops Summary and have a great weekend! kerbalspace.agency/?p=8523

all ground trials complete and flight trials for the Dhumla begin tomorrow! Genesis confirmed swerving issue was due to wheel brake use compressing the nose gear beyond safe limits and will not affect take off. Ted & Aldy say they are ready to continue breaking records 😛

a final success! The Dhumla accelerated to 85m/s without issue and came to a stop with 400m of runway remaining. There is a ton of data to pour over & the swerving with flaps needs to be ruled out as an issue but signs are looking good for flight trials to begin soon

Genesis and C7 have studied the data from last week and decided the Dhumla is ready for additional ground trials. Flight crew & FD Lanalye are working out the details with the engineers on what needs to be tested and how so they can carry out the mission tomorrow

correction sorry, we misunderstood - engineers from C7/Genesis will be studying the test data on Monday to determine whether to hold additional ground trials on Tuesday

what a long and busy week! So much to talk about in our weekly ops report - stop by even if you've seen all our tweets as we do like to include additional information here: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8434

we have two celebrations going on today - one in the VAB for the success of today's mission and another in the HAB for the completion of the Dhumla, which will be deployed tomorrow to begin its ground testing ahead of flight trials

today the Dhumla will undergo its final closeouts as HAB workers continue to work through several hundred items, checking things off as they go to ensure the aircraft was constructed as it was supposed to be and ready to begin ground trials leading up to flight testing

bit.ly/KSARecords has also been updated for Longest Mission Distance, Longest Single Flight Distance, Longest Continuous Flight Time, Longest Distance from KSC and Heaviest Aircraft Flown. Only Jeb & Val's altitude, speed, & Gs records are still intact

Dhumla is complete enough that Tedman & Aldeny can sit in the actual cockpit and work through checklists rather than rely on a simulator. They'll be training and testing systems aboard the aircraft this week to ensure all is ready for ground trials next week

Dhumla is finally holding its own weight, resting on the landing gear that completed installation today - the final major component. Now HAB crews are just finalizing some internal work before the aircraft is ready for ground testing next week!

being stuck underground for so long gave society an excuse to develop a new way to mark the passage of time, but we still like to make note of a "kerbolar year" on occasions like today - the start of our 8th trip around the sun since the KSA was founded back in Sep 2016! 🥂🎉✨

the airstrip is planned to be completed in March or April. Meanwhile this victory signals that a shift towards more fixed-wing aviation is finally happening & the deal for KSC to become an aircraft hub for Umbarg seems more like a possibility

we didn't have nearly as many photos to sort through this past year as we did at the end of 2017 so we've already picked out our top 100 images from 2018: flickr.com/photos/kerbal_… overall favorite is the Ascension Mk1 going vertical for the 1st time

our bit.ly/OpsSummary_1-4… is now posted in case you missed anything that transpired this short week. Also, @DKerman_KSA has more information about the Patreon/Ko-Fi announcement earlier today in his Desk Notes that should address any questions/concerns

operational teams from all our programs will be meeting over the course of this week to review 2018 and solidify plans for 2019. We'll have all the details next week about new launch times as well as any additional 2019 goals we didn't mention in our last tweet

🎊🎉 HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 🎉🎊

we hope everyone is having a great holiday and look forward to hitting the ground running tomorrow to begin solidifying our plans for 2019, which is looking to be another exciting year for space exploration 🥂✨

given the financial struggle we had this year, ending up with a huge loss, Head of Finances Mortimer is going to be looking very carefully at whether it was our fault in over-reaching ambition or more a matter of unfortunate external circumstances (*cough*Monolith*cough*)

2018 operations have officially ceased! We will resume operations on Jan 2nd, 2019. We are very pleased we were able to squeeze in so much this final week, here is one last Ops Summary to close out the year: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8189

the Dhumla is structurally complete a day ahead of schedule! Still needs gear, lights and plenty of interior work but it remains on track to begin flight testing towards the end of January. Aldy & Ted both say they can hardly wait

good report from the HAB, which is buzzing with activity as the Dhumla continues its structural assembly while the Progeny Mk1-B is also being mounted on the tail of the Deuce & today's Civvie begins its science instrument integration

we have confirmation from Flight Director Lanalye that all systems are GO over at Mission/Launch Control! Monday will see more drills, flight prep and a Deuce flight for final system checks before repeating the release rehearsal that was interrupted back in August

Flight Director Lanalye and her team are moving back into Mission/Launch Control today, will be spending the rest of the week running drills and tests to ensure all the systems are back to full operational status after the repairs

Lead Engineer Simon says the HAB and VAB are ready to get back to work, but Flight Director Lanalye is still waiting for Mission/Launch Control to be brought back online, as it contains the most electronic components. She says mid-next week should see them fully operational again

the fiscal roller coaster ride continues this year, as Head of Finances Mortimer has published bit.ly/FinanceReport_…. We're glad though Genesis was able to afford to continue Dhumla production off-site so it could be ready for testing sooner rather than later

all crew have been recalled this weekend to begin active duty once again starting next week. Everyone else is still working through the weekend and almost around the clock to get KSC back to operational status. Right now that's looking like sometime towards the end of next week

all the pieces are in place - well the big ones at least. Lots of little details like lighting still to be installed after the wings & tail section are joined. Too bad they can't just snap together. A few hundred meters of wires/cables also need to be hooked up over the next 2wks

today & tomorrow we will be receiving the assembled wings and tail sections for the Dhumla to undergo final integration in the HAB during December, aiming for first flight testing in late January assuming ground tests go well

no time off this weekend! Everyone is pitching in to begin getting the KSC buildings affected by the EM field back up to operational status by the end of the month, including the VAB and HAB so work can resume on Ascension, Progeny and Genesis projects in December

we just got word from the surface that the EM field has collapsed down to 150m! It will continue to be monitored this week and if it looks to be holding steady we'll begin the work of getting the affected buildings back up to operational status over the next few weeks

we are now just 2 days from projected closure of the bore hole into the crystal base of the Monolith. EM field remains stable - scientists were hoping to see it begin to reduce by now. A large influx of pilgrims has begun to arrive for what they believe will be an event this wknd

bit.ly/KSA_Finances_1… has been posted by Head of Finances Mortimer. We managed a small profit this month thanks to the science missions that were able to be carried out off campus

taken earlier this day cycle from atop Building B in the Support Village, progress being made on the new runway - about half has been broken down & that half will begin to be rebuilt and paved while the other half is broken down

the Dhumla components would also be returned to KSC for final assembly to be completed by the end of the year so we could begin flight testing in January as well. We may at least be able to air-launch a Progeny Mk1-B from a Deuce before the end of the year however

the effort to penetrate the Monolith has been indefinitely suspended and the bore hole will be allowed to heal. Current estimates put this happening by mid-November. We still don't know if this will bring about the end of the EM field as well, but everyone is hoping it will

Head of Finances Mortimer hasn't had much bookkeeping to do this past month but thanks to KerBalloon we have a small profit to post for September at least docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

the Dhumla main fuselage remains at KSC mostly complete in the HAB but other major components like wings and engines have been shipped out to Kravass and Sheltered Rock for completion, so once possible we can integrate them all back at KSC

✨🎊 happy birthday to us!! 🎉✨ Today marks the start of Year 3 for KSA operations. Our founder and Ops Director @DKerman_KSA has some words to share on the current state of things 🥂 kerbalspace.agency/?p=8039

today work was begun on our dirt runway thru October. It will be broken down to ground level and rebuilt to handle heavier aircraft, leveled back at is previous height and then paved over. Edge lighting will also be installed so takeoffs and landings can be done at night

although we pulled a net profit for mission expenses, the cost of buying up parts for 5 new Ascension Mk1 rockets, even minus the engines, has once again set us back in the red. August financial report is now available: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

while other airports could support the continued construction of the Dhumla if we were to move the assembly offsite, none of them are good places to loft a brand new aircraft. The low altitude and flat terrain around KSC is the ideal flight testing environment

we've finished transferring what equipment we can from KSC to Umbarg HQ so programs can continue development work as best as possible. Progeny still analyzing Mk6 debris. Extremis plotting trajectories. Ascension reviewing capsule tests. Genesis prepping Dhumla test requirements

we now know the EM field is still active because the bore hole is in fact continuing to fill, just at a pace now only measurable in days. New estimates say it could take as long as 3 months to heal. Here is an updated report for the past 2 weeks: kerbalspace.agency/?p=7933

we have released the report on the events that occurred this past Tuesday, which will serve as our Ops Summary for this week. Additional updates will be posted as we get more information on the EM field surrounding KSC. kerbalspace.agency/?p=7917

high-level KSA staff meeting will be held tomorrow to work up a full assessment of the current situation and decide what steps will be taken moving forward over the next several days. We will have details in our Ops Summary

only when needed to fit into a hangar like the one at KSC, which has ridiculously small doors 😛 Other airports don't have any much bigger either tho

project scientists are monitoring the Monolith for any signs of its old subsonic/EM disturbances as well as the crystal veins locally and off in Kravass & Umbarg for any electrical activity. So far, all signs point to the Monolith remaining inactive

other than the delays everyone else experienced during the heat wave shutdown, the Dhumla is progressing well in its construction and remains on pace to be completed in September, albeit later in the month that originally planned. Main fuselage assembly set to finish next week

new approach lights have been installed at the ends of both turf runways to make them easier to spot when landing in low light conditions without the need for a co-pilot with binoculars, which you can't have when piloting a Civvie

construction on the Dhumla kicks off today. Despite its size and taking up 443 square meters of floor space in the HAB, we have a total of 3,102m^2  to shuffle around our 1 Deuce (119m^2) and 3 Civvies (43m^2) - and those are all including the empty space between wings & tail

the deceptively calm outward appearance of KSC

work still being done to see about upgrading our runway here at KSC to handle night operations while also setting up controlled airspace to handle commercial aircraft traffic to serve as the airport for Umbarg

C7 Aerospace has decided to name the K-422 the "Dhumla" (pronounced Dum-lar), derived from ancient kerbskrit from a tale of the 4 rivers of life. This aircraft certainly can't fly without 4 engines! Thx for the suggestion, @BenThrussell

we hope everyone has some cool and exciting plans for this weekend! Before you go, catch up on all the latest stuff that happened this week along with additional supplementary information via bit.ly/OpSummary6-25-…

what should we nickname the K-422? Willing to take suggestions but so far have not received a single one, so last chance! We'll announce a name next week if we haven't heard any good ideas by the end of tomorrow

in addition to the ASA approval, design time was lengthened when new engines had to be designed with a smaller blade radius due to the aircraft's extremely low ground clearance. Deuce engines couldn't put thrust vector below/equal center of mass w/o props striking ground

what a week! Lots to do now before we're ready to send up the second Mk1 next month, learn about that and more on what else transpired at KSC via bit.ly/OpSummary6-4-18

K-3X was the code designation for all prior aircraft projects, but names were chosen early on in development. The Civvie is K-108 while the Deuce is K-213. If anyone has ideas for what to call the latest K-3X, send them over!

the current design of the K-3X has a wingspan that is too large to fit in the HAB or other hangars at various airports. Engineers are working to design a mechanism that can attach the final wing segment rigidly for flight but allow it to fold up on the ground

Jeb & Val have just completed their final mission for the Genesis program! Tomorrow they will officially transfer over with Bob and Bill to Ascension and begin to focus solely on training for space flight

we have an early design render of the K-3X. Significant changes could still occur but C7 says they are close to locking in the final design. The final aircraft designation will be K-#[engine count]##[wingspan in meters]

Jeb and Val head off to debriefing after parking next to the one Civvie still deployed to the tarmac (other two are in the hangar). Yup, Deuce is pretty big but it in turn will soon be dwarfed by the upcoming K-3X (which we should have lots more info on next month)

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!

KSC will re-open for operations this week! We will endeavor to show the Presider that his potential "sacrifice" will not be in vain and we thank him immensely for his support. Read more on the operations restart here: kerbalspace.agency/?p=7024

bit.ly/OpSummary4-2-18 gives some additional details on what our objectives are for the first Ascension flights prior to going for orbit. Have a great weekend everyone!

we are one step closer to getting operations back underway at KSC. That and more in bit.ly/OpSummary3-26-… - we hope everyone enjoys a relaxing weekend!

the amended laws have been submitted to the Assembly, which should get around to reviewing them sometime next week. We did our best to speed up the legislative process but there's only so much that can be done...

not much to review this week, so here's an update on the shutdown as well as details of Extremis Phase Two calculations: bit.ly/OpSummary3-19-…

the new offices still have to be setup with equipment and everything wired up but it should be all set for our return. Although the underground areas could be used before then, pointless to do so without any ongoing operations at KSC

find out more about the Ascension Mk1 designs released earlier this week via bit.ly/OpSummary3-12-… and tell us - are you doing anything sciencey this weekend?

our legal team isn't just *our* legal team, unfortunately, so while we'd like them to get these laws rewritten and put through for review by the Assembly posthaste they do have to deal with the needs of their other clients as well

the fight to resume surface operations continues, get additional information on that and more via bit.ly/OpSummary3-5-18 - a relaxing weekend is wished upon all

fortunately we expect to have majority support in the Assembly as well as the backing of the Presider so hopes are high we can get all this ratified in a matter of weeks instead. Still - well played, Monolithic followers. Well played.

the 50th Civvie rolled off the assembly line today at C7's Kravass plant, which will be ending Civvie production by May and setting up for K-3X builds - Civvies and Deuces will be assembled at the new Sheltered Rock facility

today we completed our 5th orbit 'round the sun since the KSA began operations back in late 2016. Happy Kerbol anniversary! Jeb & Val also returned to Umbarg via airship after spending more time with the advanced training unit

the R-3350-26W Duplex-Cyclone ("Dee Psych") engine will be what powers the Deuce moving forward, as well as the K-3X. It is the 1st engine designed specifically for fixed-wing flight and is 1.5x more powerful than the current PT6 in use, with three 4m propeller blades and nine cylinders. Image is to scale

sunset from the Umbarg access tunnel as we end our last day of operations at KSC for at least the next 2-3 weeks. The last of onsite staff will be departing tomorrow after final equipment shutdowns are complete

KSC Operations Cease Indefinitely Due to Legal Injunction: kerbalspace.agency/?p=6892

Don't panic! Sadly our operational capacity has been drastically reduced but the KSA is not being shut down

doesn't look like Jeb & Val will be making it home today either. Airships can manage high winds as they can always point into it for takeoff/landing. The K-3X will be larger & more capable of handling >20kts crosswinds

current Deuce cleared for flights, new Deuce ordered with some improvements planned and the K-3X project has been approved to design a new cargo aircraft. Details: kerbalspace.agency/?p=6741