Progeny Mk6 Block I Flight 9 (Material Sciences Study)

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

KSC is a bustling hive of activity today as everyone gets their launch readiness reports complete and submitted to management so we can confirm launch attempt tomorrow. VAB, Tracking Station, Launch Control and Maritime Services (Range) all need to report in

Tracking Station & Range have their readiness reports submitted for review, VAB has already sent the rocket off to the pad to be mounted and FD Lanalye reports she wants to run the team through a few more drills before she's satisfied with their performance

no point in breaking down the Mk6-II launch base when it will still serve fine for a Mk6-I, now out on the launch pad which allows the VAB to send out their readiness report. Reviews are underway in the Admin Center while we still wait on the Launch Control team

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

2/7
#2🌄09:15:35 🌅11:25:56 !!🚀!!
#3🌄15:16:26 🌅17:26:47
#4🌄21:17:17 🌅23:27:38

2/8
#1🌄03:18:08 🌅05:28:29

[L-4h10m] it may be early but there are no stragglers among the launch teams, everyone is excited to send up another rocket. While the various crews get organized weather reports will be assembled for a launch forecast. Expect updates at these milestones

[L-3h40m] briefing is getting underway at Launch Control as Flight Director Lanalye lays out the mission plan. This rocket will fly exactly like the last Mk6-I (kerbalspace.agency/?p=8341), exposing its two sample containers the same way. We also have the recovery ship better positioned downrange to react to any abnormal ascent events

[L-3h10m] we are GO from the weather desk to begin launch operations. Ground crews are heading out to the launch pad while controllers get on console to wake up the rocket. Visitors have begun to be bused over the causeway from the Support Village

as always, the latest changes to the AFCS can be found here: bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog for this flight however the majority of the previous Mk6-I code was used, just updated to conform to changes made to the mission such as launch time and science instruments

[L-2h55m] we are NO GO for fueling ops, weather desk has come back and told tankers to remain in the VAB as they monitor a rapid pressure drop. Ground crews are being told to secure the pad and shelter in the bunker - a strong storm is blowing in off the water it seems

wow it got intense out there real quick. Sun was already setting and it managed to get even darker out as heavy clouds seemed to materialize overhead, though it was tough to see under the night sky exactly how they formed. We're getting lots of thunder & cloud lightning

launch has been scrubbed, rocket is powered down - we're getting multiple ground strikes around the area. Thankfully the Ascension service tower is higher than the rocket and has a lightning rod. Winds are howling but launch base is heavy & also secured to the ground

storm seems to be abating. Lead Engineer Simon has already had a meeting with Progenitor leads and agreed the rocket should be unmounted and returned to the VAB for inspection given its proximity to the strikes. It did not appear to get hit directly

damage around the space center due to high winds was minimal - we don't leave many loose objects to fly around normally but in the rush to get visitors inside chairs and other items were left at the mercy of the winds. No injuries to report either thankfully

storm has cleared and crews are unmounting the rocket while most of the visitors have stuck around to help clean up. We don't expect to hear from the VAB on the rocket's condition until sometime tomorrow at the earliest

meteorologists have been analyzing the data collected from yesterday's storm and have confirmed that it did somehow seem to coalesce right on top of us. Actually, just a little ways to the north is where the low pressure center appears to have been located. HRRRMMMMMMM....

Lead Engineer Simon reports the rocket has checked out okay, no damage received from the nearby lightning strikes. It will be remounted later today and the next launch attempt has been scheduled for tomorrow @ 17:18 UTC - weekend visitors get a show!

rocket is back out on the pad; Tracking Station, Maritime Services and Launch Control are all going through abbreviated but still lengthy checklists to return to launch readiness and submit new reports for review by management

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

2/9
#2🌄09:22:23 🌅11:32:44 !!🚀!!
#3🌄15:23:14 🌅17:33:35
#4🌄21:24:05 🌅23:34:26

2/10
#1🌄03:24:56 🌅05:35:17

[L-4h10m] we're back at the top of the countdown, all crews have reported on site and are getting organized. Weather forecast is 90% favorable - for all the good it'll do if the Monolith decides to act out. As always we'll update at the following milestones:

[L-3h40m] Flight Director Lanalye has all crews assembled for launch briefing, same mission profile as last time. MSV Hoodall is once again on recovery duty and left port late yesterday. We assured them we wouldn't forget to keep them appraised of launch status this time

[L-3h10m] we are GO to begin pre-launch operations. Eyes are on the sky but a picture-perfect sunset is all that we see from outside Launch Control. Ground crews heading out to the pad while controllers get on console and begin to power up the rocket

[L-2h55m] NO GO for fueling. Pressure drop has already begun and the stars are beginning to vanish overhead. We are powering off the rocket and preparing for the coming storm. Everyone confident the service towers will protect the rocket as they did last time

storm is already abating - it seemed to be as intense as the previous one two days ago but did not last as long. Rocket suffered no direct hits and once we have better conditions we feel our best option is to roll back to L-3h10m and just try again

[L-3h10m] the bad weather dissipated almost as fast as it arrived and we have clear skies once again. We are restarting the countdown and powering the rocket back up. Ground crew was in the bunker and are already at work on the pad. New L-0 time is 19:12 UTC

[L-2h55m] rocket software is loaded and vehicle is configured - we are GO for tanking operations. Skies are now partly cloudy but scattered, not organized like the storm. Atmospheric pressure nominal. Fuel trucks are on their way to the launch pad from the VAB

HOLD COUNT! Tanker crews were unhooking the fuel lines when the weather desk rang out an alert of pressure drop. Pad is evacuating, trucks were parked off to the side and everyone sheltering in the bunker. Crowds outside are streaming back indoors. Here we go again...

rocket is once again powered off to help protect it from the storm, which does not seem to be building quite as fast as we expected. Progenitor leads, FD Lanalye & @DKerman_KSA will have a meeting after this storm dies down to discuss our options

it is imperative that all visitors remain within the designated areas when allowed to go outside as this will keep you near shelter in the event of additional storms. KSC mess is open to all & food will also be available in the VAB

storm is fading. It lasted a bit longer but did not seem to be as powerful as the two before it. Rocket suffered no direct hits and should still be ready for flight. Ground crew remaining sheltered while rocket stays fueled. Admin meeting underway to determine if we attempt again

we will be making another launch attempt. Lead Scientist Cheranne came barging into the meeting with compiled weather data and laid out her hypothesis that the Monolith was losing energy and could not maintain the storm indefinitely if we pressed on

FD Lanalye is having her team power up the rocket and run diagnostics. Once they are ready to proceed with the count we will reset the clock at L-2h40m. If the storm returns, we will proceed as far as possible before holding to try and wait it out

[L-2h40m] diagnostics complete, rocket suffered no damage. New L-0 time is 21:43 UTC. Pre-flight continuing. Tankers have been returned to the VAB and pad crew are securing the rocket. Security is trying to tell spectators they should remain inside still

here comes the drop! The few visitors who went back out are running back inside while the pad crew again shelters. Controllers remain on console performing preflight operations on the rocket, which will stay powered up. Rumbling overhead increases...

[L-1h55m] storm is definitely not as strong as the last one, but it's still packing some decent winds with ground strikes continuing. Pad remains clear & launch team is pressing on to engine and ignition checks

[L-1h30m] HOLD - preflight is complete but we can't proceed with launch of the weather balloon while the storm rages on. MSV Tongjess is offshore watching the storm but is not close enough to be affected by it. Now it's time to sit, wait & see if Cheranne's hypothesis is correct

we'll update on the hour as necessary. Storm appears to maintain its ferocity but detailed weather data is showing it is indeed beginning to weaken. Cheranne posits it is more dependent on the energy in the surrounding area than however much energy the Monolith itself has

we're seeing noticeable weakening at this time, with winds blowing moderately and no longer gusting. Lighting strike frequency is decreasing rapidly. Umbarg however has reported a noticeable drop in surface temperature - from how far can the storm suck energy??

nightmare fuel twitter.com/NovaSilisko/st…

storm is tailing off and weather desk reports the system is collapsing - which may not actually lead to better conditions but we will continue to wait & see. Rocket remains on ground power and healthy, ground crew returned to VAB hours ago

it is now so still outside, the silence is eerie. KerBalloon crew are prepping to launch the balloon right outside the VAB. We did not expect it to be this calm after the storm but we will take it & hope we can complete the countdown before things change!

[L-1h20m] balloon is away and countdown has restarted, now working towards a new L-0 of 01:12 UTC. This mission has no dependency on launch time although daytime would be best. Controllers are giving the rocket systems a full checkout while crowds begin to gather outside again

we were just able to use the balloon antenna high above to relay a signal over the horizon to MSV Hoodall 250km downrange and update them on launch status. They were prepared to wait all day this time and confirmed they remain on station

[L-45m] rocket has been cleared of any issues, RSO has worked with MSV Tongjess to ensure the range is locked down. Launch rehearsal has begun at last, will be important to see if anyone has begun to suffer from fatigue thanks to this long day

[L-30m] FD Lanalye reports her team is on task & alert. Weather outside is still completely calm - which has the weather desk puzzled but they had no immediate reason not to give a GO for final countdown. Ground crews heading back out to complete pad lockdown

[L-15m] pad is locked down and evacuating. RSO has closed the range and activated the Flight Termination System. Engines are ARMED for ignition. Everyone is trying to ignore all the concerned looks and muttering over at the weather desk

HOLD! Weather desk has preempted the final readiness polls and reported extremely disturbed air overhead starting as low as 13km and continuing all the way to the upper atmosphere. So that's where all the storm energy went afterwards...

it's time for another emergency admin meeting. Given the Monolith seems to detect when we power on and off the rocket we are definitely NOT scrubbing at this time but when & how we can launch remains to be determined. Rocket is being disarmed but otherwise will remain @ the ready

shift change is complete at Launch Control, rocket remains healthy. Temperature outside continues to slowly drop but it remains warmer inside the dome so perhaps Monolith isn't as smart as we'd like to think it is and still believes a storm is brewing outside

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

2/10 ??🚀??
#2🌄09:25:47 🌅11:36:08
#3🌄15:26:38 🌅17:36:59
#4🌄21:27:29 🌅23:37:50

2/11
#1🌄03:28:20 🌅05:38:41

Launch Ctrl is prepping to return to full strength as KerBalloon crews outside get rdy to send up another balloon so we can see how conditions have changed. It's now down to a relatively chilly 47°F outside but rocket systems remain unaffected & should be okay at even lower temps

balloon is away - it will take just over an hour to rise high enough for us to get enough data to determine whether things are looking more favorable or not. All controllers are back on console and rocket will get another diagnostics pass while we wait

upper atmosphere is looking better! Progenitor leads would like to have more time for it to calm further but feel we've pushed our luck far enough already and have decided to just move forward with launch. New L-0 time has been set for 15:45 UTC

[L-45m] rocket is still ready to go, MSV Tongjess remains offshore and surface weather, while chilly, is within launch constraints. FD Lanalye will conduct another rehearsal to ensure all systems have been properly reconfigured after the long wait

[L-30m] nominal results from the launch rehearsal and now RSO has begun working with Tongjess to lock down the range while a pad crew runs out for a final visual check of the rocket

[L-15m] range safety protocol in effect - pad is clear, waters are clear, airspace is clear! Rocket motors are ARMED and Flight Termination System is ACTIVE. Final checks underway on systems that could not be set before rocket was primed for launch

[L-5m] Final readiness polls complete: Wx: GO; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀 FTS to internal power, AFCS will go into active mode & begin terminal count in 3min. Ops Tracker: ops.kerbalspace.agency

[T-2m] terminal count has begun as the Automated Flight Control System manages the rocket from this point on. Ground cables have been pulled, rocket is on internal power and RF comms. Manual abort still possible up to launch. Here... we... GO???

lift off! Lower booster is pushing the rocket upwards on a tail of flame, seen here from outside Launch Control. First stage will burn for 34 seconds and then detach at L+35s. Go Progeny go!

staging nominal, now starting the final push. Ascent is a bit more vertical than expected, not as bad as last launch so we don't think there was a rail strike. Regardless this works to our favor as the radiation belt is further out over Kerbin's nite side so higher apokee is good

MECO and we're coasting up to apokee. One of the material bays has been opened for exposure until above 350km when we near the radiation belt. Then that bay will close and the other one will open. They will do the reverse on the way back down

if anyone noticed the "flight operations concluded" entry in the L+1min log image, yes that would be a small problem: the rocket thinks it landed and is not collecting telemetry data. Controllers are already run-checking a patch to transmit that will re-enable the telemetry

okay telemetry back up, we are approaching an apokee of 522km in just over 3min. MSV Hoodall can now plot the trajectory like we have done and see where the rocket will be coming down. It will have begun to reposition itself for recovery ~200km downrange

through apokee and coming back down, now that telemetry data is back you'll see the Ops Tracker update when the payload bays open/close. It skipped those events on the way up because it didn't know where the rocket was ops.kerbalspace.agency

getting ready for atmospheric interface in just over a minute from now, rocket will enter just as fast as it left, reaching speeds greater than 2km/s. We'll lose signal due to heating shortly afterwards and won't get it back before the rocket drops below the horizon

data looked good going into signal blackout that the rocket was falling in a manner we know from past flights to be survivable. It should have deployed its chute and landed by now. MSV Hoodall is likely still just over an hour away, may come close enough to skip comm us

✨🎉 KERZZAH!! 🎉✨ MSV Hoodall has commed in from the recovery site and reports the rocket is aboard and they are headed back to port. Everybody happy this mission turned out alright despite all the adversity we faced getting it launched 🥂

flight report for the recent Mk6 launch has just been posted: kerbalspace.agency/?p=8630 and we can confirm there will be another launch of the Mk6, coming up on 3/5 @ 18:43 UTC. We will also drop details of the Mk7 next week!