Discussion Ominke Atoll (feasibility of a man-made launch site)
- Thread starter ISProgram
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ISProgram
SketchUp Orbinaut
Launch facilities... Kiribati... Negotiations... this starts to sound like a certain Ben Bova novel...
See, look what you've done. Now I want to read it. :lol:
jedidia
shoemaker without legs
I think that was moonwars, although the beef is not so much about launch facilities, but about manufacturing spacecraft with Nanotechnology, which has been outlawed by the UN. So the corporation bribes Kiribati to not sign the charter and build their production plants and launch facilities there (launch facilities being not much more than airports at the prevailent techlevel, really).
ISProgram
SketchUp Orbinaut
While we're still vaguely on topic with respect to launch facilities, I should mention that in-universe, Ominke isn't actually a launchsite for the Aquarius B1 or Verseau-M because it has spacing issues; I didn't envision it being very big even before Kuria was chosen as its location, mainly because it was to be a man-made island.
I've established elsewhere that there are four launchpads on OMK; International Launch Complex Heavy-22 (or ILC H-22), ILC H-21, ILC H-00, and ILC S(mall)-01.
All the Heavy pads are used by a family of HLVs that IPSA and its partners operate, the S-01 pad is used for a family of small solid rockets and a Falcon 1-ish launch vehicle.
Because of a general lack of space, there is a secondary launch site at CCAFS, from which both the Aquarius and Verseau launch from, called ILC M(edium)-32. ILC M-32 is the only leased launchpad IPSA has at CCAFS, and is, at the moment, the only pad that can support the Aquarius or Verseau. This is meant to change, since the Aquarius' evolution borrows significant heritage from those aforementioned HLVs, including an increased diameter upper stage.
This means that ILC M-32 can't support this evolution, so it was always meant to be based from OMK, on one of the Heavy pads. The issue was interfacing the Aquarius to a existing launchpad without significantly altering that pad.
Because of this, there's a launchpad standard now, so the AqrB1, Verseau, and those HLVs can all use it interchangeably. The result is that when I make OMK, the Aquarius won't be on the same launchpad configuration it would have at CCAFS. It'll look more like that crude render below.
I've established elsewhere that there are four launchpads on OMK; International Launch Complex Heavy-22 (or ILC H-22), ILC H-21, ILC H-00, and ILC S(mall)-01.
All the Heavy pads are used by a family of HLVs that IPSA and its partners operate, the S-01 pad is used for a family of small solid rockets and a Falcon 1-ish launch vehicle.
Because of a general lack of space, there is a secondary launch site at CCAFS, from which both the Aquarius and Verseau launch from, called ILC M(edium)-32. ILC M-32 is the only leased launchpad IPSA has at CCAFS, and is, at the moment, the only pad that can support the Aquarius or Verseau. This is meant to change, since the Aquarius' evolution borrows significant heritage from those aforementioned HLVs, including an increased diameter upper stage.
This means that ILC M-32 can't support this evolution, so it was always meant to be based from OMK, on one of the Heavy pads. The issue was interfacing the Aquarius to a existing launchpad without significantly altering that pad.
Because of this, there's a launchpad standard now, so the AqrB1, Verseau, and those HLVs can all use it interchangeably. The result is that when I make OMK, the Aquarius won't be on the same launchpad configuration it would have at CCAFS. It'll look more like that crude render below.
PhantomCruiser
Wanderer
You should, it's good stuff!
Nice looking LUT (it's not that crude a render). I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
The south Pacific is starting to get crowded with launch sites (it's all good).
statickid
CatDog from Deimos
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Is that strange? Hmph. I guess being so close to Canada I take it for granted! I go to Victoria every year to check out boxing day sale week. :thumbup:
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