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Rocket heading changing randomly


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Your side boosters probably flex around their attachment point due to their high thrust and high mass, leading to their nozzles no longer pointing perfectly backwards, which in turn leads to random steering inputs.

Try strutting them more securely. For example, one strut each from the tip of the booster nosecones to the upper stage.

Alternatively, use a four- or sixpack of smaller boosters, which do not tax their attachment points as much.

But the best solution is a single-core design with no boosters at all. Got the Twin Boar unlocked, by any chance? You'll be surprised how much that thing pushes to orbit in a single-stick 2.5m form factor. I mean, this specific payload is really begging for 3.75m, if only for the fairing base, but I suppose you would be using that if you had it, and therefore you don't.

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Just a guess here, but in general, whenever the payload diameter is larger than the base of the rocket (and I don't have a ruler on me, but I'm guessing that's the case here...) the aerodynamic forces tend to want to turn the rocket @ss-over-tea kettle in the atmosphere. I'm also guessing you have enough reaction wheels, fins and/or gimbal of the engines to counteract the destabilization caused by the aerodynamics, and the result you're seeing is the battle between those forces! And since you say it doesn't go out of control, I say "Well done, sir!" 'cuz when push comes to shove, that's the only real measurement of success in KSP!

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Try adding some fins to the bottom of the first stage and if necessary the SRBs too.

That rocket looks overpowered for your payload, and I see no reason for the big monopropellant tank on the second stage as there’s no RCS on it. (Nor is there any visible RCS on the station module itself, which will be a problem for docking it to the rest of the station!) A Twin Boar with a couple of Rockomax-64 tanks will be more than enough to get into orbit with that payload and if you put a few parachutes on it, it’s recoverable too. Try to time your launch so that you reach orbit near the rest of the station, then use RCS or a small tug stage to get closer after that.

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To go along with @jimmymcgoochie, check your center of mass.  That's the first thing I do whenever I can't get a rocket to fly where I want it to.  Probably the most valuable thing I've learned.

Also, I'm assuming it's a manned craft due to what looks like a crew cabin.  But are any of them actually a pilot?  Are you using SAS or one of the flight mods?

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11 hours ago, jimmymcgoochie said:

Try adding some fins to the bottom of the first stage and if necessary the SRBs too.

On the core stage, yes - but I'd avoid putting them on the side boosters, especially when they're alread this massive. That just puts more stress on the decoupler, causing the boosters to flex more, making the rocket less stable.

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