Gigakoos

The cargo factor is left out. Sorry, I was very busy doing others things so didn’t have time for KSP Yeah I think it should be realistic (OK, Orion was a real world proposal...) that SpaceX could use it. So an Orion drive or warp drive would be too OP :-) OK, I’ll add it.

Alright! Could you do the calculations? You can ignore the cargo factor then, I'll put you on the no-cargo leaderboard!

@Kergarin, it looks really good! Can it take cargo? And how far can it go without refueling? Also, great video!

No problem! But keep the reusability in mind. Sure, SpaceX's plans for Starship include in-situ resource utilisation on Mars (that's one of the reasons they chose methane and lox as fuels) so go ahead!

@EveMaster wow, those designs look really nice! Quite an original way to do it! For the formula: Starship, also with crew, should be able to take cargo with it. (The crew and some robots use the cargo to build a base on Mars) But I could make a leaderboard without cargo? @Laie It should be capable to achieve the score in one flight.

I think it would be really cool if you could physically edit terrain (drill holes, impact craters). And weather would also be really cool!

Hey Kerbonauts! In recent months, our rival company, SpaceX, has made great advancements to their future launch system: Starship & Super Heavy. Of course, us Kerbonauts can do much better than them! For the colonisation of other worlds, we need a simple, reliable and cheap way to land on other worlds. Because our chief engineer is having coffee, we ask you to design, build and fly a two-stage reusable launch vehicle. Your vehicle should be able to take as much cargo and crew (compared to its total mass) as possible to a world that is as scientifically valuable as possible. Of course, you can use orbital refueling, ion thrusters, nuclear engines, and literally anything else you can think of! Please do keep in mind that, to rival SpaceX, your entire upper stage will need to land on the celestial body. There will be a stock leaderboard and a dlc/mod leaderboard. Celestial body multipliers Body Multiplier Moho 10x Eve 8x Gilly 9x Kerbin 0.3x Mun 4x Minmus 5x Duna 8x Ike 8x Dres 8x Laythe 14x Vall 12x Tylo 12x Bop 12x Pol 12x Eeloo 15x The formula to calculate your score is: score= max crew/(dry weight upper stage/10) x (max cargo/total wet weight) x (science multiplier celestial body) x reusability score x 100 In which: max crew: The maximum amount of kerbonauts that can be transported to the surface of the celestial body. Bring them home! max cargo: The maximum amount of cargo (in tons) that can be transported to the surface of the celestial body. Please leave it there. science multiplier: See table above. reusability score: 1: not reusable - 2: one stage reusable - 3: both stages reusable If you find a way to get a higher score by going to a different body or changing the crew/cargo ratio, go ahead! Please supply video or pictures as evidence and give me all the needed data. And remember, bring your kerbals home. We're looking forward to your submissions. If you spot any mistakes or if we missed out on anything, please tell us! The Δv Foundation Leaderboard with cargo & crew: 1- @EveMaster 3609.5 Leaderboard without cargo:

Image from JPL about the operation of ion engines. These engines are very fuel-efficient, as electrical energy, instead of chemical energy (burning), is used to accelerate the exhaust (Xe). Hence there wouldn't be so much volume needed to store the propellant, though you would require a lot of electricity: this explains the gigantic solar panels of Dawn compared to the size of the probe.