Announced back in August, the Progeny Mk6 Block I was chosen to carry student-built experiments up into space two at a time. This will be the first time we are collaborating so directly with the various higher educational institutions around Kerbin and participation levels indicate the next generation of kerbs is eager to make their mark in space exploration! This mission was delayed from its original Dec 17th launch date due to the deadly attack on KSC back in October, but all went well in the lead-up to launch with the rocket rolling out to the North Field launch site the day prior and tanked for a wet dress rehearsal. It was then left fueled for a condensed countdown on launch day, with structural panels underneath the launch base to increase its surface area and prevent sinkage that could tilt the rocket off the desired pitch and heading at launch.
The Flight
Balanced out to the same mass as the previous rocket, events from this flight occurred within a second of that one, sending the rocket up only 2km less at apokee which translated into splashing down a few hundred meters further downrange. The rocket actually flew up and over a storm in the Kerblantic that a Deuce flight investigated earlier in the day. KSC was far enough to the west and the recovery zone was far enough to the east to not be affected by any high winds or strong seas. It was recovered without issue, heading out to sea drifting ~5km off the far eastern shore.
Flight Analysis
No heavy lifting needed here again. A perusal of the flight telemetry showed no problems or even hints of problems.
Future Plans
There are no more missions planned for the Mk6-I rockets at this time, although we will see what 2020 brings. There is already talk however among us and organizers of the Kerbal Sounding Project to do another series of launches towards the end of next year to continue to foster student development while also taking advantage of any new tech that has been developed. Some of the submissions for these flights couldn’t yet be built small enough to qualify as payloads but could perhaps be constructed with new materials.
