Tag Archive: Progeny Mk1-B

Jan 04 2019

Operations Summary – Week of 1/2/19

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Jan 03 2019

Progeny Mk1-B Airlaunch Flight Analysis

A little over a year and a half after the idea was first put forward by Captain Jebediah and after months of preparation, at the end of last month we finally were able to launch a rocket off an aircraft while in flight. It was a great accomplishment and the main goal was achieved: to prove that such an operation can be carried out without excessive danger to the crew of the aircraft (in this case Flight Officers Tedman and Aldeny) or the rocket itself in being able to complete its own mission. We’ll review the process leading up to the launch before covering the launch flight itself.

Launch Preparation

Once it was confirmed that the rocket could be properly placed atop the aircraft, the first mission began with the simple goal of making sure the Deuce could takeoff and fly normally with the extra weight on the tail and its aerodynamic effects. Both concerns turned out to be minimal, at best – the piggyback was giving the aircraft no trouble whatsoever and it was able to reach an altitude of 7km ASL before climbing became too difficult to continue. That determined the release altitude, and Flight had no problems with going for a release of the rocket on this first test mission given how well-behaved the aircraft was. The release went exactly as planned – the decoupler placed forward of the rocket’s center of mass kicked it back and upright from a flight level position before it fell behind the aircraft, nowhere near striking the tail, which was another concern.

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Dec 21 2018

Operations Summary – Closing Out 2018

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Dec 21 2018

Progeny Mk1-B Airlaunch

Flight Officers Tedman & Aldeny cap off months of planning and preparation with a first attempt at launching a rocket off the back of their aircraft. Click here for the Ops Tracker rocket page

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Dec 19 2018

Progeny Mk1-B Captive Carry & Launch Rehearsal

Flight Officers Tedman & Aldeny make another attempt at a full launch dress rehearsal for the carried Progeny Mk1-B rocket that was interrupted months ago by the Monolith

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Aug 10 2018

KSA Operations Suspended Due to Monolith Interference

Earlier this week on Tuesday just after 13:53 local time the Monolith woke up. Everyone at KSC immediately knew this as a massive electromagnetic (EM) pulse surged through all active electronics on campus and the nearby Support Village and shorted them out – in some cases with a shower of sparks and electrical arcs. Minor fires were started in some areas and brought under control as personnel began to evacuate over the causeway bridge to prepare to head for Umbarg. This evacuation plan was set in place after the first time the Monolith sent out such a discharge. Several injuries were reported from burns but no deaths occurred.

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Aug 09 2018

Progeny Mk1-B Captive Carry & Release Test 5

Flight Officers Aldeny and Tedman make a final test flight while launch controllers treat it as a full dress rehearsal to ensure all aspects of the mission are ready for a booster ignition on the following attempt

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Aug 03 2018

Operations Summary – Week of 7/30/18

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Aug 02 2018

Progeny Mk1-B Captive Carry & Release Test 4

Flight Officers Tedman and Aldeny fly another carry/release mission aiming to deploy at a greater pitch angle, which will require the rocket to use its flight computer to decide on its own when to release

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Jul 30 2018

Progeny Mk1-B Captive Carry & Release Test 3

After numerous delays, Flight Officers Aldeny and Tedman perform more release testing to see if they can get the rocket to pitch up closer to the 85° nominal ascent angle as it flies free of the aircraft

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