Progeny Mk8 Timeline

with us removed from KSC we have to cease some launch prep but no change yet to the Progeny Mk8 launch date. Tho it is most likely delayed, we don't yet know by how much so original launch target will remain our goal until we can determine how soon we can launch after that

there is also now apparently a threat against KSC and we have complied with orders from the government security forces earlier today that the entire facility be evacuated. We will continue to operate at limited capacity from our HQ in Umbarg until the threat has passed

if you missed anything important these past two weeks that is not Ascension Mk3 related you can find more info on these events in our Ops Summary, including Ascension Mk3 info. If weather cooperates, prelaunch will kick off tomorrow @ 13:38 UTC! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11606

CFO Mortimer has finally been able to post our first financial report for 2021 covering the month of January. Commercial success this year hinges on the Ascension Mk3 & Progeny Mk8 being able to accept contracts, from which we can extract profit: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

a full investigation into the destruction of CFO Mortimer's computer has shown it was indeed bad electrical wiring and it looks like the problems that have been affecting the Admin Bldg for a while now will require some serious overhaul, tho no effect to ongoing operations

all the major components are now in place with the arrival of the payload stage from our Umbarg HQ. The Progeny Mk8 remains on schedule to be fully integrated for launch later this month on 2/25. HAB now gearing up for some major plumbing work to get those engines on...

final testing of the full 7-engine cluster for the Progeny M8 lift stage is ongoing today and things are looking good as you can see! After static fire concludes they will be moved back to the VAB for post-fire testing & refurbishment before flight late next month

kerzzah! ✨🥂 A happy 15th kerbolar anniversary to us all here at the KSA. Yes, in the time since the Agency has started operations we have traveled around Kerbol 15 times now for a total distance of 1,280,470,886km! Which sounds impressive but is barely over 1 light hour

the upper Progeny Mk8 Mantis stage that was shown testing last year at Luciole's facility has arrived at KSC via the cargo rail and is on its way to the HAB to be integrated with its flight hardware - RCS, reaction wheels, avionics, batteries, etc. for launch next month

initial WildCat-V static fires showed good data, but we said that last time too. While analysis is ongoing it will be replaced on the vertical test stand with the Progeny Mk8 cluster outfitted with all 7 engines for the final round of tests. All these engines will fly the 1st Mk8

with retirement of the Mk6 comes the official debut of the Progeny Mk8 in partnership with Luciole Space Systems! Not as crude or wobbly as a finned rocket, an elegant launch vehicle for a more civilized age. Full res: flickr.com/gp/kerbal_spac…

anyone notice the change to the Progenitor program patch? We've offset Kerbin to show it from the greater heights the program can now achieve & a starry background helps to contrast the dark color of the launch vehicles. Basic design remains of course - upwards!!

it's time for our first Ops Summary of 2021 - are we two weeks into the new year already?? Learn more about what is in store for the first quarter of this year that will set the stage for the remainder of our planned operations - kerbalspace.agency/?p=11531

with several successful test runs completed over the past two weeks firing 5 clustered Skeeter engines we are ready to move up to a full complement of 7. While the reconfig is underway the WildCat-V will take a turn on the stand to begin its qualification trials

Q1 launch schedule now filled - save the dates! Additional info via our bit.ly/KSA_Programs page on the website (now with entries for the Mk3 & 8) or the bit.ly/Ops_Tracker. The Mk3, 1 & 8 missions are all pivotal in deciding how we move forward the rest of the year!

the payload recovered from the failed Mk6-I mission will be integrated into the test mass that will fly on the first Progeny Mk8. Dates for that launch and those for Ascension in Q1 will be locked in next week as Lead Engineer Simon's team gets back up to speed this week

full financial report for 2020 is now available as its own sheet, the regular link will continue to carry monthly updates through this year. We hope to continue to see growth in 2021 as more and more commercial space contracts become available docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

all staff and crew are due back at KSC today to begin our 2021 operational year! Here's the new photo that adorns our various social media profiles and website header. This year the only changes planned so far are to expand the Support Village for more on-campus housing

the Mk7-B helped qualify the reusable boosters for the upcoming Ascension Mk3 as well as paving the way for the Progeny Mk8 with thrust vector control guidance. Ironically our Progeny Mk6 missions, technically the easiest, did not fare well

our 1st WildCat-V engine has arrived for qualification trials to begin next month during the period we'll be adding two final engines to the Progeny Mk8 cluster, freeing up the vertical test stand. We hope to certify it ready for flight by March if no troubles present themselves

project and program leads as well as KSA admin staff are back to work already, foregoing the normal 2wk vacay to get working on solidifying plans for next year. We will also be doing our regular recaps on the year's operations over this coming week leading into 2021

very quiet at KSC today as everyone mostly ready to head home for new year vacation over the next two weeks. 2021 is looking so busy however Admin staff have agreed to come back in after only a week to begin prepping for operations to resume with vigor on Jan 4th

we have fired the 3 Skeeter engines successfully in a tight cluster. Two more will be arriving at the end of the month for testing to resume with 5 engines in January. So far these 3 engines have been fired 46 times, making this our most rigorous engine test campaign to date twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

we'd be in final countdown now if the Progeny Mk6-II were still launching. Kerbin II passed north of KSC (yellow dot) about an hour ago and sent down this pic, showing us near the center of a high-pressure system. what a shame to miss out on such nice weather!

while this is of course an unfortunate end to an unfortunate string of events to close out 2020, we are happy that no one was injured and 2 of the missions still have payloads that can have another chance to head to space in 2021 - maybe even aboard a Progeny Mk8 instead!

Skeeter engine cluster testing continues on our vertical test stand for the Progeny Mk8. We've now moved from the initial spaced out triplet to the straight-line config, next step will be a tight cluster then going up to 5 (yellow) and finally a full seven (green) by next month

CFO Mortimer has updated our financial sheet with Nov's earnings - or lack thereof as expected. Commercial rocket contracts are on the horizon though! Net profit in 2021? More like '22-23 perhaps. But next year would be nice... docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Progeny Mk8 team is finally getting consistent firing on all 3 engines for full burn duration of 1m12s (with 7 engines). Now that the plumbing is worked out, time to start moving them closer together to see how the plume interaction and heat affect the engines

plenty of exciting things to recount & expound upon from these past 2wks, so be sure to check our Ops Summary this weekend while you are kicking back to relax - at least we hope you are! What are your plans? Our crew will be off on a wilderness excursion kerbalspace.agency/?p=11398

as expected, this week so far has been spent by the Progeny Mk8 development team working through issues feeding multiple engines on the vertical test stand. Good news is all fire, it's just keeping them all running at the same time that remains an issue

the 0.625m vacuum engine that will allow the Progeny Mk8 to insert itself & its payload into orbit is now beginning tests at Luciole. These are functional tests only - note the under-expanded plume. In space it is expected to perform at 12kN of thrust

3 Skeeter engines have arrived to begin cluster testing out on the static stand next week. They will start out widely-spaced so they don't impinge on each other & we can just assess any problems with fuel delivery to multiple engines twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

be sure to check our bi-weekly Ops Summary to catch up on the big happenings here at the KSA and even if you've been following along closely you'll likely still find new info as we elaborate on these events. Everyone have a good weekend! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11375

CFO Mortimer has posted our Oct finances and we've scraped out yet another profit. Wait, who's laughing? Oh, that would be Wernher von Kerman with his huge 2021 R&D budget proposal, not to mention looming R&D costs for Mk3 development. But for now - green! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

it's not time yet for everyone to enjoy the weekend - majority of Kerbin II operations team will be at it until late today - but if it's time for you to log off already be sure to first catch up on major events from these last two weeks: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11332

it may be only 4 calendar years since we started the KSA but in that time Kerbin has orbited the sun 14 times as of today! There are also still 4 outer planets starting with Sarnus that have not even completed a single orbit around Kerbol yet (Sarnus' 1st orbit ends 11/2024)

the first smallSat platform from Luciole Space Systems has been designed to incorporate our RTGs for power along with backup electrical storage. They will be paired with a "tug" engine base similar to Kerbin II but first we just want to see the probe core itself function

we hope everyone has a great weekend but before you log off be sure to get caught up on all the cool and exciting things that have transpired over the past to weeks here at the Kerbal Space Agency: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11318

the overall failure of this week's mission doesn't overshadow the fact that the first stage booster performed flawlessly! We will now take the final step and attempt to re-use a previously-flown booster. The booster from the 2nd flight in Aug will power the final 4th flight

bank account remains stable as CFO Mortimer releases our Sept financial report. We're looking good for the remainder of the year. Thanks to all our bit.ly/KSA_Patreon supporters helping to keep us afloat! docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Luciole has begun testing its Skeeter LF/O engine, which is small enough for them to handle internally, at least until they need to start being clustered. But first, just making sure a single one can be produced and run properly. A promising start!

✨🎊 Happy Operational Anniversary KSA!! 🎉✨

🎂🎂🎂🎂

Yes we have been underway now for 4 years. Our founder and Ops Director @DKerman_KSA would like you to know what could be in store for our future - please read his statement on our website: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11270

Luciole & Progenitor have continued to iterate on designs, including a single-stick and "heavy" configuration for the Progeny Mk8. There has also been talk of a custom-made launch base that would carry the vehicle out to the pad, although this would require use of the VAB

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…

get caught up on KSA operations to ensure you don't miss what's currently going on at the KSC campus: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11128 plus even a bit more we couldn't squeeze in to the news card. Everyone have a great weekend!

while we've set initial dates for the first two (of four) Mk7-B launches, mission objectives are still being finalized now that the Mk7-C is shelved and there will not be a direct continuation to the Mk8. Expect time/date confirmation & Ops Tracker mission details next week

here are the @LucioleSpace engines to scale next to the 1.25m WildCat-V. The Skeeter fits in a 0.4m^3 area & will be in a cluster of 7 on a 0.625m engine mount. The Firefly is a vacuum-optimized 0.625m engine built to carry the payload up into orbit. Both will be tested in-house

we've met w/@LucioleSpace CEO Wellbur Kerman & formalized our partnership. They are absorbing USI, which means we will still have access to Progeny Mk6 parts, including the single-segment SRBs should the Boosterton II's fail to be certified by the time Ascension Mk3 is rdy to fly

the Ops Summary is back and we will try to stick to the weekly format again moving forward. Learn more details about what went down these past two weeks and catch anything you may have missed: kerbalspace.agency/?p=11093

we finally know the name of our new rocket supplier - Luciole! They will be meeting with us later this month to discuss plans for future Progenitor rockets, are committed to a 0.625m orbital launch vehicle & are also continuing to develop a 0.625m aerospike engine

this was an exciting week, make sure you didn't miss anything by check out our weekly Ops Summary on the website, where we have some speculation on the USI sale. We hope everyone has a relaxing weekend! kerbalspace.agency/?p=11062

news just came in that Umbra Space Industries, our long-time partner for Progenitor rocket parts that went bankrupt earlier this year, has been bought up - a deal that has been rumored for some time now. More information is expected to be released next month

rail depot at the end of the tracks coming from Umbarg has been completed, making for a high-capacity cargo link between us and the nearest underground cavern. The train will also be used occasionally to transport kerbs and large rocket parts

our bi-weekly Ops Summary has more information on Alaba's latest trajectory analysis and also details on a recent announcement that Umbra Space Industries, long-time supplier for our Progenitor rockets, has gone bankrupt! kerbalspace.agency/?p=10937

Flight Director Lanalye is excited to soon put into action the mission operations control team! They have been training for months now and Kerbin I will be the first ongoing mission after launch. Tho it will only last a few days, still good to finally get MOC team on console

unfortunately integration issues prevented us from using the Parallel Control Unit as planned to begin experimenting with backup flight computers. This will attempt to instead be integrated with the Progeny Mk7-C later this year twitter.com/KSA_MissionCtr…

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?

meet the radiation belt! Or maybe it's just the *inner* belt? Report has been published detailing what our Progeny rocket missions have discovered about the so-called hazardous radiation region up in space: kerbalspace.agency/?p=7937

in related news however scientists have released a new post detailing the findings of the recent Progeny flights in regards to the hazardous radiation region, now closer to being called a "belt" - kerbalspace.agency/?p=7542