DSV Program

Year 23, Day 408 (DSV-6 Odyssey Launches to Orbit!)

sayburstuff Year 23 , , , , , , ,

After a very long wait, construction and stack integration of DSV-6 Odyssey is complete and the truly massive rocket is rolled out to the launch pad! Nova launches are rare, and large crowds turned up at the space center to watch!

“All right people… this might be the biggest and most expensive rocket ever launched but you’re professionals and you know what to do!”
-Gene supervising the launch at Mission Control

“I can’t wait to fly Odyssey.. I hope the launch goes OK!”
-Malcolm

As the countdown approaches launch the space center gets silent in anticipation. Finally, the count reaches zero and…

The Space Center shakes as the massive Nova Rocket takes off!

“Go Odyssey!  Woohoo!“
-Glenica, watching with the rest of the Spacedock crew in orbit!

As the Nova Rocket carrying Odyssey rises into the sky ground crews carefully track the launch!

In orbit, the fairing ejects and the spacecraft fires its orbital stage engines to circularize the orbit!

“Communications good, telemetry good… Odyssey is right where she is supposed to be! Nice work team!”
-Gene supervising the launch at Mission Control

The enormous cost, complexity, and danger of launching these mega-spacecraft from the space center has been quite a strain!

Besides the fantastic costs, the space center itself was tied up for almost a year building Odyssey.  

“The Nova Rocket itself costs almost a million to launch!  With the cost of each DSV approaching 2 million!”
-Gillian, watching from Spacedock

Serious consideration is now being given to constructing an orbital assembly yard! 

KSEA projects a need for the construction of at least one new DSV every year, which includes possibly retiring some ships in the current fleet! 

“Not sure how to do it, but we need to find a way to get more Kerbals into deep space – the Space Center can’t handle this many super-duper-heavy launches!”
-Gene

DSV-6 Odyssey

  • Vessel Mass: 177.916 t
  • DSV Cost: 1,968,922
  • Nova Rocket Cost: 751,858
  • Total Cost: 2,720,780

Year 22, Day 331 (DSV-1A Explorer Announced!)

sayburstuff Year 22 , , , ,

The original Explorer was the first Deep Space Vehicle constructed by the KSEA. While it was ultimately a flawed design in many respects, it was the start of the Explorer program to explore the solar system! The next true DSV was DSV-2 Discovery, the test bed for a truly reusable interplanetary space ship. Most of Discovery’s systems were implemented in the Horizon Class Deep Space Vehicle, named after DSV-3 Horizon – Horizon Class ships have become the workhorses of the Kerbal Space Program and comprise the bulk of the DSV Fleet! The Kerbal States now has four Deep Space Vehicles and will soon be adding a fifth!

Honoring the legacy of the DSV program, the next DSV will be named Explorer, and retain the DSV-1 number, but with an “A” indicating it’s the second ship to bear the name! Construction has already begun – and the next mission has already been chosen – a journey to Sarnus!

KSEA will have more details soon!