Progeny Mk5 Timeline

getting a look at all the launch trajectories was much harder this year given the overall height of the missions & the spread of launch azimuths used, but we did our best. You can always download telemetry for individual flights from the Ops Tracker to graph your own data

time to chillax and enjoy the weekend! Head over to bit.ly/OpSummary1-29-… (link verified! Sorry about last week) to check out details on this week's Deuce PR tour and the latest news from the Progenitor team on the Mk6

previous plots were from tracking data, here's a closer look at the ascents from the onboard telemetry. The 2nd flight was more aggressive while the 4th flight was more efficient

it was Ops Tracker v3.0.0 that powered the live staging updates yesterday - what did everyone think? Check out the details on the update here: github.com/KSAMissionCtrl…

only telemetry data is stored in the probe core, which suffered just minor damage so it was fully recovered and is now available for perusal at bit.ly/Mk5_Tlm_1-25-18 - we are still have trouble with the HDR logger so no graph included again

rocket assessment reveals everything above the probe core was critically damaged upon impact. Science data was mostly lost but we managed to negotiate half our completion fee from Bloeting based on the data that was able to be recovered

Progenitor engineers will be giving this flight a close look over the next several days, we'll have an overview of the flight in tomorrow's ops report but besides the bad landing we broke several bit.ly/KSARecords:

Heaviest Rocket Launched: 1.707t
Highest Altitude over Kerbin: 546.460km
Fastest Velocity in Atmosphere: 1,912.7m/s
Longest Mission Distance: 1,116.200km

the rocket, or what's left of it, has been returned to KSC and just at a glance it looks like it somehow came down nose first and ruined everything above the probe core - fairings half tore off, payload took on water and that flipped the rocket end up after splashdown

news at last! Lymun is on her way back with a mangled rocket found engine-up bobbing in the ocean - not how it is supposed to land. They could also find no trace of the chute, which indicates deployment likely did not go well

wrapping up post-flight ops. Both boosters splashed downrange & crews report pad and launch base remain in good shape. MSV Tongjess has departed to head west to meet up with the KB team. We're expecting to hear from MSV Lymun within the next hour or so

comm signal lost passing through 50km, rocket will be below the horizon when it deploys its chute so all we can do now is proceed with post-flight operations and wait for Lymun to report in, they have about 50km to travel, a little over an hour away

about to fall below 100km and approaching the atmosphere at >2km/s. Currently 129km downrange, Lymun should have been tracking it since shortly after launch and already be well underway on a course to intercept

almost halfway back down - we are concerned about our chances for recovery given that traveling just shy of 500km led to a near-total loss of the payload and for that we (inadvertently) came in broadside instead of straight up and down

just now passing through apokee, no change to radiation levels, holding steady at 10.010 rad/h. Rocket is so high if Bob & Bill had a large enough dish they could receive line of sight telemetry data too all the way over at bit.ly/Site_0B-RZ

MSV Tongjess is heading over to where the Wx balloon splashed down about 15 mins ago to retrieve it from the water, then exchange it for another high-altitude balloon it will carry out to bit.ly/Sector_GV-001 after picking up Bill, Bob & crew tomorrow

passing through 300km and once again we are back in a region of high-radiation, which so far has only been probed out to 500km so we will see if conditions change at all past that point

BECO and the Mk5 is heading far uphill to an apokee of 546.46km!! This is going to be just one of several shattered records. Time to apokee is just under 9 minutes. Battery consumption is a concern but we should have more than enough to last until splashdown

ascent extremely nominal, 1st & 2nd booster drops w/o issue, AoA within constraints, 3rd stage booster has just now lit and is throttling up to full - we've already achieved an apokee outside of the atmosphere!

booster ignition and lift-off!! Progeny Mk5 has cleared the launch base and is on its way, making the first trip up into space for 2018! Pitch over is nominal and the rocket is tracking east, will be over the horizon shortly for Lymun to spot

[T-1m] we're still bumping up against the wind limit but as long as no gusts pass through... Flight Director Lanalye has not allowed any leeway, if speeds tick over into the red even for a second a hold will be called

[T-2m] terminal count! Switch-over to internal power in progress, AFCS is now in charge, RF comm checks being performed as ground umbilicals are pulled. Tune in to bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-4 for real-time status updates of major flight events

[L-5m] skies look great, final polling is in - Wx: GO (will continue to monitor surface winds up to T-0); Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀

launch controllers using the extra time to perform additional vehicle checks. Can you ever have to many checks? We don't think so. Control room largely quiet as everyone prepares their stations for final general polling at L-5m

HOLD called by Wx as a band of thick clouds passes overhead. Tongjess reports that we have clearer skies on the way and a new L-0 time has been loaded onto the rocket for 15:00 UTC, so not a long wait - keep thinking calm thoughts tho for winds. No gusts allowed!

[L-15m] range safety protocol is now in effect, rocket has enabled its Flight Termination System and boosters are ARMED. Any incursion by vessel or kerbs into the range will halt the countdown

surface wind concern is due to the rocket standing up from drag at the nose at launch, winds from the east can tip it over at this early phase so it falls west as it ascends over KSC, in which case the RSO would trigger the Flight Termination System

[L-30m] launch rehearsal concluded, Wx reports conditions are YELLOW for surface winds, so they will be monitored closely but we are otherwise cleared to proceed into the final countdown. Pad is secure, rocket remains nominal, range is clear

we just received a patchy transmission from Lymun but it sounds like they are out there and ready to scoop up a rocket!

[L-45m] AFCS control has been confirmed, rocket stands ready for terminal count. Launch team performing their full flight dress rehearsal to ensure everyone knows what they are doing

[L-1h] MSV Lymun should be on station 180km downrange by now for recovery operations. As with last time, we don't expect to hear from them at that distance but they will still attempt to make contact at set periods over the next hour. Ahhh! One hour left!!

we've been too busy to setup additional viewing areas as planned so ticket sales were limited again and sold out fast. Please stay within the designated areas for your safety and follow all instructions by KSC staff

[L-1h20m] we have balloon release, heading up past 18km to check up on @upperlevelwinds for any shear conditions. Surface winds remain a concern but thankfully have not increased with sunrise and skies have improved to only partly cloudy

[L-1h30m] all systems remain nominal, preflight has been completed. Range Safety Officer now working with MSV Tongjess, on station 14km offshore, to setup the eastern range to monitor for incursions and track vehicle ascent

[L-1h55m] no issues being worked, fuel levels holding, pad secure. QRT sheltering in the bunker while rest of pad crew evacuates outside of 300m blast radius so launch controllers can perform engine checkouts of all three boosters

balloon team heading out to MSV Tongjess holding just offshore so they can launch from the range monitoring location as winds are coming out of the east and we want the balloon to stay within the rocket ascent corridor on its way up

[L-2h40m] fueling has wrapped up, now we enter a period of monitoring tank levels to ensure no leaks in the fuel system. During this time pad crews will secure the pad and further tests of the rocket systems will be carried out

🌅Sunrise/Sunset🌄
@ KSC (UTC-5)

1/25
#2🌅08:03:17 !!🚀!! 🌄11:53:47
#3🌅14:04:08 🌄17:54:38
#4🌅20:04:59 🌄23:55:29

1/26
#1🌅02:05:50 🌄05:56:20

[L-2h55m] rocket has accepted its instructions and the AFCS is standing by for terminal count. Controllers have configured the 3rd stage booster for fueling and given the GO for pad crews to begin pumping 109kg of liquid propellants onboard

[L-3h10m] we have a GO from Wx to continue preflight operations, the only concern right now being surface winds out of the SE. Pad crews report rocket is looking good, controllers waking it up to onload operations code (bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog)

flight profile today will be similar to last launch, the diff being increased thrust for the 2nd stage booster & no coast period for the third stage, which will ignite 2 seconds after the 2nd stage booster is spent, 1s after it is decoupled. It will thrust initially at 2.5 TWR

[L-3h40m] launch control team assembling to run through the execution of today's flight while the pad crew heads out to check on the rocket and launch base to ensure everything weathered the storm okay

decision made to scrub the launch, storm is abating but operators have been working since early today - best to get them some rest & we will continue our launch attempt early again tomorrow. New L-0 time set for 14:48 UTC

one hour remains in our daylight launch window, storm rages on. Causeway has been shut down due to high winds - any shuttle buses crossing it could be blown over! Rocket remains healthy on the pad, Lanalye reports testing has gone well and repairs are good

leading edge of the storm has arrived. There is a good chance it will pass and allow us to attempt a launch later today so we will continue to hold the countdown at L-4h10m

launch base & rocket are being secured to tie downs on the pad in anticipation of strong winds. FD Lanalye will still run her team through drills today and also perform checkouts on the rocket to ensure repairs went well

weather kerbs have put a halt on the countdown & issued severe weather notices for the campus - looks like a strong line of storms is heading our way from the southwest, likely fallout from VWU-324(E)'s impact earlier this wk. We'd hoped it wouldn't get here this fast, or at all

[L-4h10m] meteorologists are starting to pull together data from Umbarg and Kravass as well as airships plying their routes to get an idea of what weather conditions may be heading our way later

wrapping up work on the Tracking Station, technicians assure us all will be in order when we begin preflight @ 15:36 UTC. Here is our timeline for the day

technicians are still repairing wires and running cable - we admit this is partly our fault as well for failing to properly label or tag everything when it was first installed. Launch has been pushed back to 1/24 @ 19:46 UTC

the Mk5 stands ready out on the pad as an early sunset arrives thanks to Mun. Tracking Station repairs remain ongoing but we're still looking to launch early tomorrow

Tracking Station needs to call in additional tech support from Umbarg - looks like inspection crews last month were very careless with the wiring when taking a look at the core structural elements of the building. Launch is officially delayed to 1/24 @ 13:45 UTC

in similar fashion to this photo, the Mk5 has been loaded onto the carry vehicle and parked for rollout tomorrow after passing final integration checks. Flight Director Lanalye says here team is ready as long as Tracking Station repairs wrap up soon

Tracking Station reports they have uncovered a serious ground wiring issue affecting their control consoles when linking to the external feed that runs out to the pad. Technicians are working the problem

Bill & Bob report the three KerBalloons prepped to support upper-level wind monitoring for the launch are ready. We have parts for 5 more on hand if needed, more are always ordered each launch to maintain a surplus (usually not all are used)

VWU-324(E) will be coming down away from any surface ops, scientists are logging it for future research trips - hopefully soon we'll have satellites to help us check these sites out

the lack of a rocket launch has made this past week no less exciting, that's for sure. Catch up on all that happened along with additional information via bit.ly/OpsSummary1-15…

the code for the upcoming rocket flight has been given final approval and uploaded to our Github, you can check out the details at bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog, just operational updates for this launch, no major changes to AFCS itself

not bad for our first week of 2018 right? Catch up on anything you may have missed along with additional details via our bit.ly/OpsSummary1-8-… and we hope you all enjoy a relaxing weekend!

the Operations Tracker v1.0.0 has been 🎉 DEPLOYED!! 🎊

Check it out and let us know what you think. We expect issues and hope to see reports submitted for them to be fixed ASAP. We can't wait to put it to use with out next Progenitor launch this month!

kerbalspace.agency/Tracker/tracke…

fare thee well 2017!! Kerbal Space Agency signing off for the year! If you hear from us before the 1st of next month it's probably going to be nothing good. We still have one last bit.ly/OpsSummary12-1… for you all. Safe holidays everyone!

we posted 900+ photos this year & after much debate the top 100 have been chosen! Some are simply our favorites but many are key events that happened this past year. Do you remember a favorite of yours that didn't make the cut? Our #1 photo is attached flickr.com/photos/kerbal_…

Progenitor team had a final meeting today and decided that, due mainly to the visible design changes, once the Mk5 Block I design is locked in they will retire it and the Block I and Block II designs will go on to become the Progeny Mk6

Mortimer has just signed off on the final purchase order for 2017, which will get us the parts we need for our next Progeny Mk5 Block I launch scheduled for no earlier than 1/15/18. He's now preparing our year-end financial report for tomorrow

KSC operations for 2017 are wrapped! Find out why via bit.ly/OpsSummary12-1… and catch up on this past week's activites. KSA operations are set to wrap next week - stay tuned for many year-in-review stats 🙂

quick review of recovered data has let us make final update to bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-3 for splashdown location, distance traveled and total mission time

payload has been delivered to KSC and is being broken down in the VAB so the science instruments and data can be handed off to the labs for analysis. We will include an initial flight review in tomorrow's weekly ops report

post-launch operations have closed out, launch base is being moved back into the VAB for storage until next year. We will have an idea when our first 2018 launch will be next week after a full review of data from this launch

cheers from Launch Control as MSV Tongjess finally managed to get in touch with us to confirm it is cruising back to KSC with a payload aboard!! \[0_o]/ congratulations to the entire Progenitor team for a successful wrap up of their 2017 flight operations!

at standard speed, it would take MSV Tongjess ~50min to make it from its initial recovery station to around where we lost signal, but it would have seen it coming down short and been in motion beforehand so if seas are calm it could now be reaching where the rocket splashed down

post-launch ops underway - even if we don't have an intact payload everyone still *extremely* satisfied with this flight! Other than the 2nd stage decoupling & LF/O throttle to look into, all went as well as we could have hoped to deal with all the issues identified last launch

as expected, Tracking Station reports no signal re-acquisition since it was lost several seconds after our last tweet. Rocket should have by now deployed chute to drift gently down into the waters of the Kerblantic but we will have to wait for news from MSV Tongjess

after initial atmospheric penetration at 1.576km/s the rocket is still gaining speed until it hits thicker air, where it will heat up a plasma blocking radio signals. We don't expect to regain a signal before it falls below the horizon and deploys its parachute

apokee reached, now for the fall back to Kerbin. Rocket's precession increased during final boost like last launch but not as extreme, tilting as much as 50° from vertical it will still re-enter in <4min mostly engine-down and will stand back upright as it hits denser air

now prepping for balloon recovery, we have booster splashdown confirmations from MSV Lymun, which tracked the 1st stage to 11.4km downrange @ L+3:14 & the 2nd stage to 29.8km downrange @ L+4:38. The rocket is currently 65km downrange, angling south with a 4.8° inclination

final apokee after BECO-3 is 252.14km, which is just above the originally-planned 250km ceiling for Block I operations so everyone still pleased! Time to apokee is just over 3min. No booster cutoff notification has been logged... interesting...

LF/O booster pinned at 76% thrust after throttle-up for some reason but otherwise operating nominally. apokee is 220km and rising. The long coast period between stage two & three will keep our final apokee lower than last launch but ballistic flight data will still be useful

anomalous 2nd stage booster decoupling put a bit of wobble on 3rd stage enough to eventually exceed 1° AoA constraint. Quick decision by controllers was to wait until near space to see how the precession develops before final booster ignition, now coming up shortly

all events have gone according to plan so far. 1st stage booster performed phenomenally, keeping MaxQ below 80kPa as we had hoped and separated cleanly upon burnout. 2nd stage booster is now pushing after igniting at 28.9km ASL w/ TWR of 2.21

booster ignition and LIFT OFF of the 3rd Progeny Mk5 Block I for our last trip into space for 2017!! Initial TWR of 4 as planned has pushed the rocket away from the launch base and on course to the east, trajectory nominal

[T-1m] here we go!! Tune in to bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-3 to get real-time updates of planned events during the ascent via our Flight Tracker. Hopefully next year's first launch will feature streaming telemetry

[T-2m] the Automated Flight Control System has begun to closely monitor the rocket as it comes off ground power and switches over to RF comms, will ignite the lower booster at precisely 17:30:00.0 UTC. Callouts remain nominal for all systems

[L-5m] Weather: GO, upper-level winds within limits, no shear detected; Range: GO; Flight: GO; Tracking: GO; Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀 GO PROGENY 🚀

the hush of quiet readiness has fallen over Launch Control as all stations focus on one last review of data to make ready for the final general polling ahead of the terminal countdown. Issues board is clear, all systems nominal

[L-15m] Range Safety Officer has confirmed with MSV Lymun the eastern range is clear of all traffic - boats or aircraft. Pad confirmed clear out to 300m, quick response team sheltered. Rocket boosters are now ARMED, as is the Flight Termination System

[L-20m] still no word from MSV Tongjess so over-horizon comms not bouncing signals well today, but we at least know from Lymun they were headed out there. We can't wait until we can bounce a signal off a satellite instead of the finicky atmosphere

[L-30m] clear, perfect skies from outside of Launch Control as dawn approaches, surface winds are calm. We're still awaiting word on upper-level wind conditions but the GO has been given to proceed into final countdown operations

viewing areas are all packed with the additional members of the public - we will be looking to open up additional viewing areas for the next launch. Please remain within these designated areas for your safety & obey all KSC staff instructions

[L-45m] Launch Control has wrapped up preflight operations, pad has been fully secured and evacuated, now moving into the full launch dress rehearsal to ensure all setups are complete & all assets are in place

[L-1h] we're standing by for word from MSV Tongjess that they are at the recovery zone 180km downrange, same distance as last launch. Like last time, we probably won't hear them at that distance though. Hopefully they get a rocket to recover this time!

[L-1h20m] we have balloon release for its 1h ascent to the upper atmosphere (>18km). Data gathered for winds aloft will be factored into our Go/No Go decision for final all-station polls prior to terminal countdown

[L-1h30m] rocket boosters looking healthy so far, checks ongoing. MSV Lymun has reported on station for range monitoring & confirms that her sister ship MSV Tongjess also departed Umbarg earlier today to head for our planned recovery zone

[L-1h55m] all systems nominal onboard the rocket so far - pad crew is now clearing out so Launch Control can begin booster engine/ignition checks. A quick-response team will shelter in the nearby bunker

Bob & Bill lead a team of UTVs out to setup for a high-altitude balloon release so we can get measurements of upper-level wind conditions to check for shear & excessive wind speeds prior to terminal countdown. 2 more balloons can support additional launch attempts if needed

[L-2h40m] moving right along, sticking to schedule tanking is wrapped up and fuel levels will now be monitored to ensure no leaks exist in the tanks or lines. Further rocket system tests will be performed while pad workers clean up and begin to secure the launch site

[L-2h55m] AFCS is booted up and initialized, rocket has been configured for tanking and Flight Director Lanalye has given the pad crew the GO to begin fueling operations, onloading 109kg of liquid propellants to the third stage

[L-3h10m] we are GO for preflight operations! Meteorologists see signs for good weather during our first daytime launch window, but things may deteriorate afterwards so might only have one shot today. Launch team waking up the rocket for command software load

with the new AoA constraint on the AFCS the launch team will need to be ready to manually initiate booster ignition if the rocket wobbles too far off its prograde vector during the coast phases

[L-3h40m] while weather team studies data & attempts to make a forecast the launch team is assembling in Launch Control to get their final preflight briefing. Ascent profile will use the usual 1.5° pitch over change to end coast phases

we have launch readiness approval!! KSC is 🚀 GO FOR LAUNCH 🚀 attempt tomorrow @ 17:30 UTC. We're all hoping to end 2017 with a bang - but not literally!

tickets for public access to view the launch sold out yesterday. We had quite a few complaints about the short notice for those that need to travel, but don't worry, all launches will be open for viewing going forward!

FD Lanalye reports we have a healthy rocket out on the pad all set for preflight ops to begin tomorrow @ 13:30 UTC. Now just waiting on Drew & Mortimer to sign off on all the paperwork...

mounted to the launch rail, the Progeny Mk5 Block I stands 12m tall. It currently weighs 1.596t while empty of any fuel in the 3rd stage tanks. Launch Control now proceeding with final readiness checks. Eve, Dres and Moho visible in the clear dusk sky

FD Lanalye has concluded drilling her team of flight controllers and says everyone is ready for the real thing tomorrow and whatever problems the rocket might throw at them. She admits it could still surprise them though. Rockets are sneaky like that

Tracking Station reports all dishes are calibrated and ready to support telemetry gathering during launch and ascent tomorrow. With 4 dishes capable of receiving signals we shouldn't have any redundancy problems!

VAB reports the rocket is ready for rollout, will make its trip to the launch pad shortly. The launch base was placed back out on the pad earlier today

controllers are on console as Flight Director Lanalye leads them through one final day of launch drills, mostly focused on flight profile assessment in the case of AoA constraint violation during ascent (>0.5° 2nd stage coast, >1° 3rd stage coast)

Lead Engineer Simon reports that the Mk5 is on schedule to complete closeouts tomorrow for rollout after 2nd sunrise. The rest of KSC is prepped for final readiness checks tomorrow as well. Getting closer!!

the Progeny Mk5 Block I has been fully stacked, VAB crews now in meeting to go over the horizontal laydown for integration of fairings & final closeouts. At 1.707t, the rocket will weigh only 6kg more than the previous one w/extra shielding & more powerful stage 1 decoupler

bit.ly/AFCS_ChangeLog has the details of our modifications to the Automated Flight Control System for this week's Progeny flight. Biggest changes being AoA constraint checking during coast and additional per-launch defined data logging

Mk5 first stage booster has been completed without issue and will be integrated with the rest of the rocket tomorrow for final closeouts

bit.ly/OpsSummary12-4… has all the extra details and information on what you may have missed this past week. Launch week starts in just two more days! Get hype! 🚀

stacking was begun yesterday with the 2nd & 3rd stages, 1st stage booster work today has made excellent progress, will wrap up on Monday for stacking. Final integration Tue, rollout Wed. Only the lower stage has angled fins now to spin up the rocket over its 31s boost

final re-calibration & testing will be completed today for the 3rd Tracking Station dish, re-commissioning it for active duty. It will still be a while before we can work on linking them though

power has been restored to KSC, what could be done today by daylight & temporary lighting has still been significant across the campus. We expect no delays in Mk5 assembly as long as Umbarg power repairs remain permanent as planned

Umbarg keothermal plant is undergoing emergency maintenance this weekend starting ~30min from now, still recovering from extensive damage due to the Monolith Incident. All efforts to avoid a major outage have prevailed until now. We hope to receive power again by Monday

we apologize again for failing to register our shortlink prior to publishing, causing a web bot to note the dead link & create one to a spam site :/ Horrible scammers out there. Catch up on this week's activities w/additional insight here: kerbalspace.agency/?p=6168

now that we know booster is good for launch, date has been locked in for 12/14 @ 17:30 UTC for our next Progeny Mk5 Block I launch attempt! 🚀 bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-3

booster has been unmounted, clamps are being removed and data from the test is being sent off to USI for full analysis although initial reports from engineers here say the results were good

we have had successful ignition, good run and burn out just shy of 31 seconds. Bunker crew will go out to inspect the booster shortly to clear the rest of the crew back in to begin dismounting operations

ignition in 5 minutes, final checks of RF comms underway along with backup hardline, monitoring equipment standing by, engine controller is running

10 minutes to ignition, Range Safety Officer has ensured pad and surrounding area is clear of unsheltered personnel and closed the test range. Ignition pyros are ARMED

20 minutes to ignition, all systems look good from Mission Control so the pad is being evacuated with a quick response team sheltering in the bunker

booster is hooked up to the test clamps, controllers are on console making sure all hookups are good and the control unit integrated with the booster for this test is booted up and operating nominally. Still on schedule for 17:30 UTC firing

Simon reports that the Mk5-I booster checks out. We will mount it on the pad tomorrow at 2nd sunrise and hold the static fire test @ 17:30 UTC

crews have the test clamps installed out on the pad, a similar setup is in the VAB for initial readiness checkouts, which Lead Engineer Simon reports are currently underway & proceeding nominally

Progeny Mk5-I test booster has been packaged up & loaded, will depart Umbra Space Industries HQ in Sheltered Rock & arrive tomorrow for us to get ready for testing on Thursday

everyone is indeed a bit bummed to think we had planned to be on a launch cadence w/Progeny Mk5s of at least once a week by now, but hopefully our Dec return to flight will set us up for such a thing starting next year

3rd stage construction for the next Mk5 Block I is expected to be completed this week in the VAB, including payload instruments, using the new parts that will help to provide better radiation protection

programmers are still stymied as to what caused the flight computer to crash during the last mission but glad it didn't lead to mission fail

future spaceflt implications of this data are serious. Lead Scientist Cheranne says she'll be sure explanation is in flight analysis report

science team studying the data from last Progeny flight report over the top of rocket's arc radiation lvls were recorded up to 10x normal

an incredible rocket launch, some fancy pattern flying & new moonlet! Get all the details kerbalspace.agency/?p=5953

VAB crew felt overworked these past few launches & management concurs. New build times extended 0.5wks: 2.5wks for Mk5-I and 3wks for Mk5-II

for now we only need to provide runway security for Civvie missions but while we are ready we do not anticipate any antagonistic actions

we were not going to allow this until later but w/ temp suspension of Mk5 program we moved timetable up as there is a good deal of backlog

note also the loss of some data was simply due to the crash of the AFCS during ascent (and helped us pinpoint exactly when code crashed out)

the graphical plot normally @ the top of telemetry data was both corrupted & overran its 10min buffer anyways, that was really the only loss

almost all data from the last Mk5 launch was recovered, now real work can begin to understand how it all went down bit.ly/Mk5_Tlm_10-31-…

it's still undecided if we will also provide live video but if not the vessel graphics will still update to show current state of the craft

the long wait between Flight Tracker updates will soon be gone when we start streaming live tlm data with the Ops Tracker @ start of next yr

tl;dr: 11/7 launch pushed to NET 11/22; Block II pushed to NET Dec; lots of re-thinking & re-designing needs to be done after data analysis

all day spent working to get science & telemetry data from rocket has been a total success! Now, all the bad news: bit.ly/ProgenitorPR18

launch video up! You can see how soon second stage lit off & rocket's bad spin by end of 3rd stage + civvie footage! youtube.com/watch?v=iaRcGI…

Mortimer has bit.ly/FinanceReport_… published, showing our slimmest profit margin to date (751F). If yesterday's launch had failed... ouch

note: new shorthand for Block I & II designations: Mk5-I & Mk5-II. Using B1 deemed confusing as there is a Mk1-B1 w/ "B1" not meaning Block

actually 3rd stage burned out traveling 2km/s but by then it was out of the atmosphere. 1.8km/s is how fast it was going when it hit 70km

in addition to altitude (493km), yesterday's flight also set new bit.ly/KSARecords for speed (1.8km/s) and distance traveled (993km)

post-launch ops closed out, payload is home & a tired but super-happy Progenitor team retires. What a day! Our expectations were blown away

\[0_o]/ there will be a LOT of analysis to do this flight w/ its unexpected success so don't expect report tmrw, but we did promise a video

WE HAVE AN INTACT PAYLOAD!! Recovery team says it is well-roasted & we may have to write off some of the reusable parts - hopefully data OK!

post-launch operations are underway while we eagerly await word from the recovery team. Can confirm both solid boosters splashed downrange

Tongjess is working its way around behind the island where the payload should have splashed down, we expect confirmation in about 15-20min

RT @DKerman_KSA: if you're watching the Flight Tracker & are confused, the chute deployment is just what we *hope* has happened by now

initial fears have eased once we realized rocket fell behind mtn on island w/abandoned C7 base, but we still don't have chute confirmation

cheers from launch ctrl as we regained signal after 20s of comm blackout - it survived! Manual chute deploy cmd sent @ 2.5km but then LOS 🙁

rocket just exceeded 2km/s velocity & is slamming sideways into the atmosphere as you read these very words. Moment of truth is upon us...

RT @DKerman_KSA: everybody hold on to your butts, this sucker is coming in hot!!

still...
.
.
.
falling...
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.
.
to Kerbin...

Tongjess is recovering the KerBalloon & then prepping for payload recovery also as rocket is falling back towards KSC, now 21km downrange

however although rocket is still in a flat spin according to tlm data it has stopped rolling, which will not help with heat distribution

we are hoping the larger surface area will both help to brake the rocket & distribute heat enough to not allow any parts to lose integrity

apokee reached at last, rocket is now falling, still in a flat spin. We have no idea how it will handle broadsiding the atmosphere @ >2km/s!

RT @DKerman_KSA: if we'd had any idea we probably would have put in some altitude updates or something for the Flight Tracker. Almost there!

the look on Wernher's face is priceless seeing all this additional science data come in from a region of space we never meant to reach today

to apokee...
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.
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climbing...
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still...

rocket is above LKO @ 370.5km ASL traveling 938m/s, only 26km downrange thanks to a very early 2nd stage boost from large wobble @ stage sep

Val is on final approach to land & her maneuver kept her on-target to get some great footage! We will have a launch video to share tomorrow

rocket is in a flat spin after BECO-3 but still holding together & ascending to an insane apokee of 493km!! WHAT?! We had no idea... [0_0]

AFCS crashed during 3rd stage boost but as designed it returned manual control & Lanalye says launch team is following procedure perfectly

oooh the tense faces of launch controllers willing rocket to hold together during 1st stage boost! 3rd stage has now just lit for final push

(first stage!) booster ignition & lift off! 67.2kN of thrust push the Mk5 off the pad at 4Gs - but things will speed up quick. Too quick?

[T-1m] tune in to bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-2 for live ascent updates. Val has throttled back & pitched up hard to slow down. May overshoot

[T-2m] AFCS has control, we are now in terminal count. Rocket switching to internal power & RF comms. Val is on her approach, looking good

[L-5m] final general poll - Wx: GO, Range: GO, Flight: GO, Tracking: GO, Civvie: GO, Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀GO PROGENY🚀

[L-10m] Val has received take off clearance & will depart west, swing north then back around south to pass the pad & set up her timed appr

[L-15m] Tongjess reports range is clear, bunker crew reports pad is clear. RSO has closed the range. FTS & booster engines are now ARMED

[L-20] still no word from Lymun, but at least we know they are out there! Val has already begun to taxi out to Rwy27 to prepare for takeoff

[L-30] we currently have heavy clouds overhead but clear skies are following! Wx has given the GO to proceed into final countdown !!🚀!!

Tongjess is back on station & all launch support personnel are returning to their duties to get everything back in place to resume countdown

3rd balloon has been released. If we have to scrub into tmrw there is surplus for 3 more that can be built prior to launch after 4th sunrise

Tongjess is returning after confirming Lymun is out there on station in moderate seas. Hopefully we'll be sending a rocket their way soon!

MSV Tongjess will recover the second balloon shortly then head out east to check on MSV Lymun, as we still have not had any comms from them

scrub operations complete, rocket is in standby w/new L-0 uploaded, pad secure. Bill & Bob already back at KSC prepping the third balloon

decision has been made & we are scrubbing for this day cycle - will resume the countdown from L-30m @ 01:28 UTC for a 01:58 UTC launch

[HOLD] Good news is storm remains to the south & moving off to sea but bad news is clouds aren't going with it. We see no clear sky to west

we've let go the 2nd balloon to provide an update on upper-level winds in the event that we have clearance to launch later in the window

[HOLD] clouds remain persistent. We said earlier window closes @ 22:03 UTC but that means we need to pickup the count no later than 2133Z

[HOLD] pockets of clear skies passing by but none large enough. Umbarg reports a storm is approaching them but it should remain south of us

MSV Tongjess has moved off station to recover the KerBalloon launched earlier. Bill & Bob remain out in the field with one more ready to go

[HOLD] Wx still red. With 30min left in countdown we need a very clear horizon to the west for a large enough cloud coverage gap to proceed

we will have weather updates every 20 mins throughout the launch window, which extends to 1hr before sunset so 2203Z is latest we can launch

additionally video recordings can provide valuable clues in the event of an ascent failure but are useless if they can't see rocket clearly

Range Safety Officer needs to have clear sight on rocket to determine if it is off trajectory - we can't rely on tlm data if comms go down

[L-30m] rehearsal complete, rocket is GO, launch team is GO, assets are GO but unfortunately weather remains red for cloud coverage

[L-45m] still no word from Lymun, launch rehearsal begins regardless. Lanalye confided to us she has some sneaky launch anomalies thrown in

[L-55m] Jeb & Val have Civvie #3 all checked out & ready to go, Val is climbing aboard to get preflight completed prior to launch rehearsal

they will continue to attempt to contact us for the next 5 minutes before waiting until later in the countdown to keep the comms net clear

[L-1h] MSV Lymun is expected to be stationed 180km downrange but we have not heard from them yet. Comms at that distance can be iffy @ times

[L-1h20m] Bob & Bill took a crew a few km west of KSC to setup & release our weather balloon, now rising towards the upper atmosphere

[L-1h30m] setup of the eastern range has begun with MSV Tongjess arriving on station to provide radar tracking & range security & recovery

[L-1h55m] fuel lvls holding, pad clearing for booster engine checks. All other rocket systems nominal, no issues being worked by launch team

lots of lawn areas already staked out. If you're looking to catch the launch these locations are all that are available for safe (external) viewing

as the fueling crews clean up after themselves and secure the pad for launch, tank levels will be monitored closely to ensure no leaks

[L-2h40m] topping off the tanks, rocket now weighs just 1.701t, lofting a lighter set of payload instruments on this flight totaling 25kg

[L-2h55m] rocket is online, instructions loaded & preliminary system check is clean, crews on the pad have a GO to begin 3rd stage fueling

you can see the latest changes to our flight control software via bit.ly/AFCS_Changes - primarily operations code for this mission

[L-3h10m] we are GO for preflight, all controllers on console. Rocket is being powered up & initial ops load commencing to setup for fueling

mounting all wrapped up - cutting it close to preflight as an umbilical needed replacement after a small animal tried to make it into a nest

[L-3h40m] Flight Director Lanalye is assembling her launch team for final briefing prior to preflight. It'll be the same ascent as last time

the weather over KSC right now is mostly cloudy w/low clouds @ 2.4km, surface winds light & variable. Currently Wx is RED for cloud coverage

[L-4h] mounting ops are proceeding w/o issue & weather data is now being gathered from Umbarg, Kravass & airships roaming thruout the region

expect regular updates at these major events throughout the countdown as we work towards an on-time launch later today @ 19:58 UTC!

[L-5h20m] time to get down to it! Rocket has left the VAB for the launch pad, no rain or high winds prevent mounting ops from commencing

bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-2 pre-launch ops will begin @ 14:38 UTC. As usual, Flight Tracker is set to carry operations & ascent updates

✅Tracking Stn ✅Launch Ctrl ✅VAB ✅Operations
everything has checked out & @DKerman_KSA says we are now 🚀GO FOR LAUNCH🚀 tomorrow!

Mk5 is loaded up & being marshaled into place for rollout tomorrow, work already being started on the boosters for bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-3

✅Tracking Stn ✅Launch Ctrl ❌VAB ❌Operations
Flight Director Lanalye reports her team is all ready to go after a full day of launch drills

Tracking Stn reports roof dish is now offline, 2 grnd dishes rdy for data reception tomorrow, w/ VAB roof dish also set as tertiary backup

pad won't be empty tomorrow. Everyone @ KSC is working hard today to ensure that everything is in place & ready to support tomorrow's launch

smooth approach & landing, Val is taxiing in, says she feels comfortable with the procedure & is ready to catch a rocket launch tomorrow!

once again early, once again compensating Val had the pad in sight at L-2s - a bit tight but still would have worked. Descending to land now

a minute early for this approach, Val did a 360° turnabout to burn time and got the pad in frame at L-5s for a good view. Doing another run

Val arrived late, forgot to factor in the time needed to turn around and begin to head back. Setting up another practice run, L-0 in 9min

so, the idea is that while keeping a constant speed & direction, you know that's how long it will take you to come back the opposite way

1st pass made to setup distance, Val coming about & will time her trip southward from when she passes launch pad to return for L-0 in 5 mins

Everyone have a great weekend & don't forget there's a lunch next Tuesday! Catch up on this past week via bit.ly/OpsSummary10-2…

every launch w/ balloons so far has been budgeted for 3. We expect to build up a surplus & upon reaching 10 extra only order more as needed

3 KerBalloons are being prepped for next week's launch. If we use them all up due to multiple delays, 3 more will be in supply already Mon

we've also made sure the rocket has only one way to know that it has landed & execution should end that will trigger only after chute deploy

new bit.ly/AFCS_KSA code was pushed yesterday, software team has ensured that *any* booster ignition failure is now handled properly

Tracking Stn has declared our 3rd dish to be fully commissioned & operational. Work now begun to take roof dish offline for removal

in which our Operations Director @DKerman_KSA explains why it'll be a while before we get photos from space: kerbalspace.agency/?p=5890

no luck finding any remains of last week's Block I stage 3 on the sea floor. Lots of clutter down there, pieces most likely too small

although no space photos, we are looking into placing a camera on the 2nd-stage booster, which might get higher than a KerBalloon w/Block I

why don't we have photos from space yet? It's complicated, we asked @DKerman_KSA to write a post about it sometime this wk when he has time

SRB order awaits results of 1st successful Block I flight, as their more powerful constant thrust may require change to solid fuel burn rate

Tiberdyne has agreed to pay us in full if we put together another launch, so bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-3 scheduled for 11/7 @ 21:21 UTC

thx to re-using most of what is recovered (payload trusses, chute, probecore) a new Mk5 Block I costs only 1,973F vs. 2,665F for everything

tl;dr - new ignitor needed, not new booster. Code flaws patched. Unsure if Tiberdyne wants a relaunch. 2nd Block I launch confirmed on sched

report on yesterday's launch failure is posted: bit.ly/ProgenitorPR17
and here's the video that goes with it: youtube.com/watch?v=TTrfze…

we've already found the embarrassing code oversight that caused the rest of the launch mishap, so a report later this afternoon is expected

a brief update to our bit.ly/OpsSummary10-1…, including Desk Notes. We will have more information released over this weekend

post-launch operations will be carried out & a full investigation will be conducted this wknd. Will have brief Weekly Ops Review update soon

MSV Lymun has searched & reports no sign of the rocket which means it either completely broke apart hitting the water or ruptured & sank :/

1st stage booster remains inert, crew approaching for inspection. Flight team still reviewing logs, code & video to determine what happened

Jeb has landed, unfortunately he did not time his pass well & when he went to turn to bring nose cam around he had already flown past pad

MSV Lymun is getting underway to head for the area ~8km downrange where the rocket hit the water to search for anything remaining on surface

bunker crew keeping an eye on 1st stage booster still on the pad - say no smoke or evidence of mis-fire. Will wait 15min before approaching

we are assessing a launch anomaly - still not entirely sure what just happened but the rocket ascended on 2nd stage booster then splashed

[T-1m] for live updates of planned events during the launch head over to the Flight Tracker now! bit.ly/ProgenyMk5B1-1

[T-2m] terminal count begun, rocket switching to internal power, EC drain monitored, RF comms active, AFCS now has full ctrl of the rocket

[L-5m] final poll - Wx: GO, Range: GO, Flight: GO, Tracking: GO, Civvie: GO, Ops Director: Launch permission granted! 🚀GO PROGENY🚀

camera feeds test from Civvie good. Jeb can't see them, but controllers will direct him as rocket ascends to hold visual as long as possible

should Jeb arrive late on target, FD Lanalye has authorized him to bank straight towards the pad so nose cam can pickup the launch instead

[L-10m] Jeb has takeoff clearance to depart & setup for his flyby, passing 2.5km west of KSC @ 1km ASL to capture the launch from wing cam

[L-15m] Range Safety Officer reports MSV Lymun finds eastern range to be clear, rocket boosters are now ARMED & manual FTS activated

winds aloft, including upper-level winds, continue to remain in the green & will be monitored by ascending balloon, now reaching upper atmo

[L-20m] Tongjess reports recovery craft has been inspected & is rdy for its duties. Sun is up, skies are mostly clear & surface winds calm

[L-30m] rehearsal complete, no issues, all systems nominal. Wx is GO for final countdown & Jeb is taxiing out to Rwy27 to hold for takeoff

[L-45m] another launch rehearsal underway, this time mainly to confirm that all systems have been properly recycled after the earlier scrub

[L-55m] Jeb is back aboard the Civvie and starting to run through his preflight checklist. Launch Ctrl has all members back on console

[L-1h] we can still hear MSV Tongjess, Val says they have traveled around & found good sea conditions for recovery operations in the region

[L-1h20m] balloon release reported, Tracking Stn will pickup signal w/in a min. Jeb is helping ground crews get the Civve untied & inspected

with the wind shift Bob has returned to KSC & he's already headed out w/Bill & crew in 2 UTVs SE of KSC to release the 2nd weather balloon

[L-1h30m] winds have died down & shifted from the SE, looks like the storm is moving off. MSV Lymun is reporting better conditions also

catch up on the events of this past week via bit.ly/OpsSummary10-1… - we will update it later with details of the Mk5 launch

all launch assets have completed scrub procedures & are now standing by. We will have a weather report for next launch attempt @ 23:51 UTC

rocket has been reconfigured after launch team sent over this set of instructions. Very nice to no longer have to do a full system reboot!

launch has been scrubbed. New L-0 time is 01:21 UTC and hopefully the weather will be better then. We will resume the count at L-1h30min

[HOLD] Wx remains red, still dry but if no improvements are seen in the next 20min we will scrub for this day cycle & try again 4th sunrise

[HOLD] Wx remains red, rocket remains in good condition & all assets remain ready although Civvie also had to be tied down against the wind

[HOLD] Wx remains red. Conditions are not deteriorating but neither are they improving. Our daytime window closes @ 17:25 UTC, 1hr to sunset

[HOLD] Wx remains red. No rain still tho MSV Lymun reports that rain has started. Tongjess downrange is out of the weather in moderate seas

high winds have roughed up the bay waters enough Bob & crew have had to put ashore. MSV Lymun has recovered the balloon released earlier

winds have shifted out of the NNE, but thx to lower launch angle the Mk5 is now less susceptible to easterly winds tipping it over westward

[HOLD] Wx remains red, surface winds are increasing up to 20kts & crews are moving back in to put some extra tie downs on the rocket base

[HOLD] the storm is staying out to sea but its outer bands of clouds are sweeping over us. We will have weather updates every 20min

[L-30m] rehearsal complete, no issues reported but weather has put a HOLD on the countdown due to cloud coverage currently being above 80%

[L-45m] all launch assets report ready for rehearsal to ensure everyone is clear on their tasks & responsibilities during the actual launch

[L-55m] Jeb is briefed, has performed his exterior inspection & is climbing aboard Civvie #3 on schedule to preflight the aircraft

we're basing recovery estimates on the Mk4, which had an ascent profile similar to the one we are flying today & traveled as far as 135km

[L-1h] Val says hello from today's recovery ship MSV Tongjess, 180km downrange. she's replacing a recovery crew member on a medical leave

almost time to get firmly situated if you want a good spot to view the launch outside, big crowds of friends & family on Friday launches

the weather monitoring package the balloon carries will keep us informed of wind conditions aloft, including hazardous vertical wind shear

[L-1h20m] we have release & AOS of the high-altitude KerBalloon, set to drift thru our launch corridor as it enters the upper atmo @ 18km+

[L-1h30m] range monitoring duties have fallen to MSV Lymun for this launch; it is now stationed 14km offshore & getting set up w/our RSO

meanwhile Jeb is suiting up in the ready room of the Astronaut Complex & will be reporting to Lanch Ctrl shortly for his final briefing

winds still out of the north, so Bob will be taking our recovery boat a few kilometers out into the bay for release of the weather balloon

[L-1h55m] no leaks or other issues reported, pad evacuation underway so we can move into system & ignition checks for all three boosters

pad is cleaned up, fuel trucks have departed & we're in a wait period while fuel levels are monitored to ensure no leaks in tanks or lines

[L-2h55m] fueling ops wrapping up, the rocket now weighs 1.713t, which is lighter than older Mk5s thanks to new fins massing 0.5x as much

[L-2h55m] rocket sys nominal, valves open & crews have a GO from FD Lanalye to begin loading 109kg of liquid fuels into the 3rd stage tanks

all instructions have been accepted by the rocket & system checks are underway prior to clearing crews on the pad to begin fueling the tanks

rocket is powered up & instructions are being onloaded. You can check out what's new in our ops & AFCS code via: bit.ly/AFCS_Changes

[L-3h10m] GO for preflight! Cloud cover has increased & we are concerned about a storm reported out to sea. Pic a few mins ago before sunset

of course, we are interested to see how the rocket holds up under increased pressure from the longer boost. Doubt we'll break the record tho

the longer-burning 1st stage booster is significant as the 2nd & 3rd boosters will have greater thrust at the higher altitude they start in

the new 1st stage SRB will burn over 2x longer than normal, for 20s. The 2nd stage booster will burn longer as well, for 10s instead of 7s

[L-3h40m] team assembled in Launch Ctrl for flight briefing. You can see details for our ascent today in this report kerbalspace.agency/?p=5725#ascent

currently over KSC we are experiencing partly-cloudy skies w/ winds out of the north - which is a bit iffy but doable if it comes down to it

[L-4h] beginning to gather Wx data from Umbarg, Kravass & numerous airships/MSVs that have been plying the region over the past few hours

rocket is secured to the launch base, still about an hour left of mounting ops tho to get it connected to umbilicals & prepped for fueling

Bob & Bill are giving their two KerBalloons a final inspection. Each carries a USI weather instrument to help us monitor upper-level winds

[L-5h20] rocket is on its way to the launch pad. Here is our launch ops schedule for today, note the new additions for Civvie integration

1.5hrs of safety drills complete: sheltering, evacuation, fueling, fire extinguishing & pad incursion all covered. Pre-launch ops next

today's early start is due mainly to some mandatory safety training all launch crew will undergo as it's been 6 months since our last review

good day, space tweeps! Who's ready for a rocket launch? KSC already starting to come alive to prep for pre-launch ops to begin @ 14:00 UTC

all the astronauts are back & rdy to lend support to tomorrow's launch:
Bob & Bill - balloon release
Jeb - aerial footage
Val - recovery ops

thread. Our Operations Director shares some candid thoughts on tomorrow's launch - will the rocket hold together? Only 1 way to find out... twitter.com/DKerman_KSA/st…

we are GO FOR LAUNCH tomorrow! Everyone has checked in & Ops Dir Drew confirms all is ready here @ KSC. Prelaunch ops will begin @ 14:00 UTC

Mk5 rocket final integration going well so far, crew on break for lunch. Will close up the payload & run final overall checks this afternoon

launch readiness checks are underway across the KSC campus in order to ensure everything is in place to properly support tomorrow's mission

L-2 days to launch of bit.ly/ProgenyMk5b1-1, the first Mk5 Block I! Get hype! Much excite! Who plans to be around to watch live on Friday?

Lanalye is happy with the new launch operations schedule and Jeb has a GO - we look forward to seeing a launch from a new angle on Friday!

Flight Director Lanalye is drilling the Progenitor launch team today for the Block I launch & also working in the Civvie aerial footage

science team finalizing payload instruments for delivery to the VAB 2day while workers there get all stages of the rocket stacked vertically

tl;dr: first 4 Block I launches should lock in an optimal ascent profile for the rocket by the end of the year based on analyzed Mk5/4 data

report on last week's Mk5 launch is up & we have plans in place for this week's 1st flight of the Block I: bit.ly/Progenitor-PR4

Progenitor teams spent a full day reviewing & comparing telemetry data. Here is the data from last week's flight: bit.ly/ProgenyMk5-6_T…

we have a new entry for our bit.ly/KSARecords on longest recovery distance from KSC. Got any ideas for other additions? Let us know!

word is they will not be formally charged with any offense - Presider is said to be considering loosening restrictions on Monolith visits

post-launch ops complete & we are all wrapped up for this week of operations. Get all the details here: bit.ly/OpsSummary10-9…

no attempts were made to interfere with this launch & it's nice that not all religious kerbs are opposed to our actions (actively at least)

as soon as the Mk5 was out of the VAB early today workers began the assembly of our first Mk5 Block I. Final parts arrive @ start of next wk

Progenitor engineers will analyze telemetry data early next week & decide how we want to send up the Block I at the end of the week

ok *now* we can celebrate! Lymun recovery crew just pulled payload from the water. Mission success! Bring that sweet science on home! \[0o]/

post-launch ops underway as we ensure all spent boosters splashed or are recovered, pad is cleaned up & KerBalloon is recovered by Tongjess

payload will be floating around a while, but this is also part of the reason the empty fuel tank stays attached & fairings remain airtight

25s comm loss & signal regained for chute deploy confirmation 66km downrange *just* before horizon cut off signal. Lymun is already moving

standing by for atmospheric interface, rocket remains tail-first so engine takes the brunt of heating during re-entry, comm loss expected

nearly at apokee & science instruments are working great, lots of data showing up onboard. Rocket's ballistic arc will re-enter in a few min

we are back in space once again, coasting to an apokee of 107km. Science team is keeping careful watch on payload instruments, now active

all nominal, 3rd stage engine auto-throttling to increase thrust to full while not increasing dynamic pressure worked great, MECO just now

LIFTOFF! 1st stage booster has ignited sending the Mk5 roaring off the pad @ 4Gs toward space! Shorter coast times will make events go quick

[T-1m] head to bit.ly/ProgenyMk5-6 to see real-time updates for planned events during the flight. 1 more quick poll @ T-30s then launch!

[T-2m] rocket is transitioning to internal power, umbilicals pulled, RF comms 5x5, AFCS monitoring EC levels. All systems remain nominal

[L-5m] Final polling: Wx GO, Range GO, Flight GO, Tracking GO, Ops Director GO! 🚀GO PROGENY🚀 AFCS is monitoring time, rdy for terminal count

the unseen weather we are most worried about, wind shear, is currently negative according to latest balloon readings from the upper-atmo

controllers giving all their systems a final complete once-over to be ready to announce their status during final poll. We can see Wx is GO!

[L-15m] eastern range is clear & RSO has given the GO to arm the rocket, Flight Termination System also activated (under manual RSO control)

[L-20m] final check-in from Lymun reports they are ready to track down & recover payload. KerBalloon ascent remains nominal, now @ 18.2km

although we don't need to hold, if we did we can now update the launch time on the rocket without having to do a full system restart. whoo!

[L-30m] GO for final countdown! Skies clear enough we were able to see Mun & Minmus set together just a few mins ago, winds light from west

[L-45m] preflight complete, no issues being worked, all assets on station & time for a full launch dress rehearsal before final countdown

we are not sure what planned ascent changes will do for downrange travel - could be anywhere from 50-130km so we just split down the middle

[L-1h] MSV Lymun has called in from 90km downrange, reporting on station. They have cruised around & found mostly moderate seas in the area

all viewing areas are open, as usual for a Friday launch things are already pretty crowded out there so hurry up & claim your spot(s)!

KB crew remaining out on standby w/2nd backup balloon to release in event of an early envelope failure or no pass thru/near ascent corridor

[L-1h20m] we have good release of the high-alt KerBalloon west of KSC, winds will push it through our ascent corridor as it hits upper atmo

for the record yes, there are northern & southern ranges already defined for highly-inclined launches we just have no reason to use them yet

[L-1h30m] MSV Tongjess has pulled up on station offshore, working with Range Safety Officer to setup monitoring of the eastern range

[L-1h55m] pad closeout underway, fuel levels holding, all systems nominal - Standing by for pad evacuation & booster ignition system checks

Bob, Bill & a small crew are heading a few km west to get setup with their balloons to be ready for release in a little under 1 hr from now

if any try, they are 2.5km from the pad - we would have plenty of time to hold count & safe the rocket. They don't seem opposed to us tho

KSC security has been dispatched to keep an eye on the pilgrims & inform launch ctrl if any make attempts to approach the launch pad

[L-2h40m] no issues during tanking, rocket now weighs 1.826t with the additional 109kg of liquid fuel aboard. Rocket system checks continue

[L-2h55m] rocket is all booted up & initial checks are good, FD Lanalye has given the fueling teams waiting out on the pad a GO to begin ops

biggest change is thx to boot script upgrade, now each phase of flight that needs to be monitored is its own function. Bye-bye run codes! 🙂

launch teams are waking up the rocket & loading up initial software - see what's new in our ops code via bit.ly/AFCS_Changes

[L-3h10m] with no severe weather reported in the region, rocket hooked up & flight briefing complete we are GO to begin preflight!

rocket mounting is done, low-press storm system pulling winds out of the SW but is moving along & should leave better weather next day cycle