KerbalX

Description

A true workhorse of a rocket for any space exploration program, capable of carrying a several-Kerbal capsule or large cargo ship up into orbit.

A stock rocket called Koyuz 1. Built with 131 of the finest parts, its root part is liquidEngine3.v2.

As the name indicates, it’s a KSP version of the venerable Soyuz launcher and spacecraft. Unlike the modern Soyuz (but like some older versions of the spacecraft), it only carries two crew, not three (the stock game doesn’t have any three-seat capsules with the right shape and size for the descent module). I got it by modifying the stock Muna 1 craft, much like how the real-life Soyuz rocket is (indirectly) derived from the Luna rocket, an earlier member of the R-7 rocket family.

I did my best to duplicate the configuration of the Soyuz spacecraft and its two-stage launch escape system; an FL-TX900 tank with assorted attached paraphernalia and an attached Terrier engine serves as the equipment module, a two-seater Mk2 command pod serves as the descent module (it’s conical, rather than the real Soyuz descent module’s headlamp shape, but close enough for our purposes), and a spherical Pea crew module serves as the orbital module. On top of the Pea, there’s a docking port, with the lower stage of the launch escape system (an FL-A10 adapter with eight sepratrons attached) on top of that, and then the upper stage of the escape system (the LES tower plus eight more sepratrons) on top of that, attached via a decoupler and another structural adapter. The fairing attaches to the adapter portion of the lower escape stage, and the two are jettisoned at the same time.

Although the Koyuz nominally has a 4-kerbal capacity, for extra realism, I recommend only crewing the descent module, transferring the crew into the orbital module once actually in orbit.

The boosters use independent throttle, factory-set to 100% thrust, while the core stage’s thrust responds to the main throttle controls. I recommend leaving the core stage at half throttle until just before booster jettison, so as to not burn up fuel too soon or accelerate too quickly in the lower atmosphere.

For the upper stage, when within a few hundred m/s of orbital speed, I recommend shutting down the main Kodiak engine and going into vernier solo mode, as there’s now plenty of time for the Cubs to complete the insertion burn on their own, and they’re more efficient than the Kodiak. Press 8 to go into vernier solo mode; press 7 to return to all-engines-on mode, and press 9 to shut down all the upper-stage engines (for instance, if you’ve docked to another craft, and the other craft is now providing propulsion).

During a launch abort, once the Koyuz spacecraft’s orbital and descent modules are safely away from the rocket, hit 0 to decouple the orbital module and deploy the descent module’s drogue and main parachutes.

Built in the VAB in KSP version 1.9.0.

Details

• Type: VAB
• Class: ship
• Part Count: 131
• Pure Stock
• KSP: 1.9.0