[1.4.3] Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. - Satellite Pack (v0.3)

[jimmymcgoochie]

I've used this mod in both KSP versions 1.7.3 and 1.8.1 and it works fine in both- don't let the thread title and CKAN listing fool you.

Just read a news article about SSTL getting a contract for a communications satellite around the Moon; I'm hoping that will make it into KSP. Are there plans for any more satellites to be added to this mod and/or probes plus? Maybe the two could be combined?

Since this seems to be the official SSTL mod thread, I have a bit of feedback about it:
The satellite has a serious power problem- it uses a lot of power compared to most other KSP probes, even when in hibernate mode, and the solar panels aren't really up to the job. When I tried to use it with SCANsat as a biome mapper, it ran out of power after 30 seconds. Sticking additional solar panels onto it makes it work but looks ugly, and bodging the part files to give it more power feels like cheating to me. (Yeah right- I bodged the part files. A lot. And not just for this mod by any stretch of the imagination!) The engine is also very feeble even by the standards of ion engines, and drains the batteries even faster. 

 

[golkaidakhaana]

On 2/9/2020 at 7:19 PM, jimmymcgoochie said:

I've used this mod in both KSP versions 1.7.3 and 1.8.1 and it works fine in both- don't let the thread title and CKAN listing fool you.

Just read a news article about SSTL getting a contract for a communications satellite around the Moon; I'm hoping that will make it into KSP. Are there plans for any more satellites to be added to this mod and/or probes plus? Maybe the two could be combined?

Since this seems to be the official SSTL mod thread, I have a bit of feedback about it:
The satellite has a serious power problem- it uses a lot of power compared to most other KSP probes, even when in hibernate mode, and the solar panels aren't really up to the job. When I tried to use it with SCANsat as a biome mapper, it ran out of power after 30 seconds. Sticking additional solar panels onto it makes it work but looks ugly, and bodging the part files to give it more power feels like cheating to me. (Yeah right- I bodged the part files. A lot. And not just for this mod by any stretch of the imagination!) The engine is also very feeble even by the standards of ion engines, and drains the batteries even faster. 

 

The developer hasn't been online in almost a year, and the mod hasn't seen any development in almost 2 years. I highly doubt we'll see any more work done to the mod.

[akron]

Hello all. I am not the owner of the mod or the licensed IP, but as the original developer I thought I'd chime in with the disclaimer that I do not speak on behalf of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited.

At the moment, the mod is not under any official development, at least by me. This is not to say that it won't ever be perhaps even by another artist.

You are welcome to continue to post any issues that you have and I will try to help resolve. If needed, I can release an "official" unofficial  MM patch fix. I agree that SSTL has been making some fantastic spacecraft recently and there's good things to come from them in the future. If there is a lot of interest in those, remember that unofficial versions of those can be made as part of other mods, such as my own ProbesPlus! mod.

If you guys have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

Cheers!

Edited February 27, 2020 by akron