Pipcard

2033-10-26 - The Kagutsuchi MTV arrived at the Red Planet, performing the same maneuvers demonstrated by the Mars Habitation Module. It first inserted into an elliptical orbit with a high point of almost 57000 km, where the vehicle performed a plane change to align itself with the orbit of Phobos on October 27 (using less propellant compared to a plane change near Mars). The day after that, the MTV entered its final orbit of 260 x 240 km as the crew prepared to head down to the surface.

[JAXA+] 2033-04-13 - The Earth Departure Stages of the Kagutsuchi Mars Transport Vehicle ignite their engines

2033-04-13 - The Kagutsuchi MTV began its journey to Mars as the six LE-7-R engines of the first Earth Departure Stage ignited for over five minutes, putting the vehicle in an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 11,000 km. The EDS was then jettisoned using solid separation motors. Almost four hours later, the second identical EDS fired its engines for about three minutes to put the MTV on course for Mars, then detached. The transfer to Mars would take 6.5 months, with a small course correction using the three LE-5B-3 engines of the Mars Orbit Stage just a few days after leaving Earth. First Earth Departure Stage

[JAXA+] 2033-04-10 - The Kagutsuchi Mars Transport Vehicle (1725 tonnes) assembled in Earth orbit

2033-01-10 - The first module of the Kagutsuchi Mars Transport Vehicle, which would take people to Mars and back, was launched by a H-Z 204L. It consisted of the Mars Orbit Stage (3x LE-7-R engines and 3x LE-5B-3 engines) and Earth Return Stage (1x LE-7-R and 2x LE-5B-3). The LE-5B-3 engines were used for insertion into an orbit 400 km above Earth. 2033-02-08 - The first of two Earth Departure Stages (6x LE-7-R) were launched by an H-Z 212L, and would dock linearly at the aft end of the MTV. 2033-03-08 - The second EDS was launched by another H-Z 212L. 2033-04-07 - The final assembly flight consisted of the Mars Ascent Vehicle, which would take crews to and from the surface of Mars (with the help of an inflatable deceleration shield, slightly smaller than the one used for the MHM), and the Mars Transport Vehicle Habitat, which the crew would live in on the trip to Mars orbit and back. They were launched by an H-Z 102S with the astronauts Takeyoshi Homura, Makoto Watanuki, and Akane Furukawa on board. The MAV performed a transposition, docking, and extraction with the MTV Hab once in orbit, and used a tug with a single methalox RL10 engine to rendezvous with the rest of the MTV. Once docked, the centrifuge ring inflated and began operating in 3 hours, generating 0.25 Gs of artificial gravity. A few days later, the first Japanese crewed mission to Mars would leave Earth. Total mass in orbit: 1725 tonnes

[JAXA+] 2031-10-03 - A DRTS-X satellite in areostationary orbit 2031-10-11 - The Kagutsuchi Mars Habitat Module lands in Kasei Valles

2031-09-29 - Nine months later, DRTS-X4, X5, and X6 arrived at Mars (spaced a few hours apart), inserting into an elliptical Mars orbit, performing a plane change maneuver to align with the Martian equator, and inserting into an areostationary orbit. The network was completed by 2031-10-05. 2031-10-08 - About a week afterward, the Kagutsuchi MHM performed its Mars orbit insertion burn, first inserting into an elliptical orbit before a plane change aligned it with the orbit of Phobos, then entering a ~250 km low Martian orbit. On 2031-10-11, the solar arrays and radiators were retracted as the transfer stage de-orbited and separated from the MHM using a pair of retrorockets. The Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) expanded to a 25 m diameter, providing ample surface area for the 48-tonne payload to slow down in the Martian atmosphere. The large 70 m parachute deployed 15 km above the surface, then the HIAD detached with another pair of retrorockets. The MHM cut off its parachute before making its final propulsive descent with 4 RL10 engines (CECE methalox version), landing in Kasei Valles, named after the Japanese word for Mars. The solar arrays were redeployed to power four drills, which would extract regolith to convert to radiation shielding. Second Mars Orbit Insertion Landed at Kasei Valles

The Kagutsuchi Mars Mission, named after the Japanese god of fire (Mars being known as the "fire star" in East Asia), aimed to send three astronauts to the Red Planet. It would utilize the asymmetrical H-Z 212L. In 2030, the Mars Habitat Module would be sent before the crew, attached to a propulsive capture stage and entering the Martian atmosphere with an inflatable heat shield. The MHM also had a rover called the Mars Cruiser. In 2033, a Mars Transport Vehicle would be assembled in four launches, serving as living space for the crew between Mars and Earth, and carrying the Mars Ascent Vehicle that would take the astronauts to the surface and back to orbit. 2030-12-21 - A week before the launch of the MHM, a Zeta rocket (with a third stage for extra performance) launched three DRTS-X communications relay satellites to Mars, which were almost identical to their counterparts in geostationary orbit. 2030-12-28 - The H-Z 212L launched the Mars Habitation Module. The transfer/capture stage used 1 LE-7-R engine [from the CH4 mod, .cfg modified to have multiple restarts] and 2 LE-5 engines for course corrections. Both the MHM and the relay sats would arrive at Mars in October 2031.

In the late 2020s and early 2030s, the H-Z Heavy was introduced. This variant of the H-Z used one or two liquid rocket boosters in conjunction with two SRB-Zs, increasing the payload capacity to 685 (H-Z 212, 1 LRB) or 900 (H-Z 222, 2 LRBs) tonnes to low Earth orbit, surpassing and almost doubling the capacity of the Sea Dragon. The core stage of the H-Z 222 had five engines instead of nine to save propellant until booster separation. The unusual configuration of the H-Z 212 used seven engines on the core stage (arranged with most of the engines on the side opposite from the booster to balance thrust as much as possible), and required special control software [a kOS script] to prevent the rocket from drifting sideways during the first few seconds of launch. H-Z Heavy 222L H-Z Heavy 212L (alternate picture)

The names of the astronauts (including Hibito and Mutta Nanba) were a reference to the series "Space Brothers" (宇宙兄弟).

I get it, the appearance is similar, but the H-Z is closer to the Sea Dragon's size and launch capacity. And the H-Z Heavy surpasses it.

23, no, but H-Z is.

The Zeta rocket is an upscaled version of the Epsilon rocket, using an SRB-Z (AJ-260) as the first stage. The second stage uses two LE-7-R engines, which have been modified (from the CH4 mod, changed .cfg) to be restartable. The capacity is 53.5 tonnes to low Earth orbit and 17.5 tonnes to geostationary transfer orbit. 2030-01-18 - A Zeta rocket launched from Uchinoura Space Center carrying a new generation Data Relay and Tracking Satellites (DRTS-X), nicknamed Kodama-X. It could launch three geostationary satellites at once. Each satellite performed a sequence of burns to insert themselves in a synchronous orbit spaced eight hours apart.

[JAXA+] The Zeta rocket is an upscaled version of the Epsilon rocket launching from Uchinoura Space Center, capable of launching over 50 tonnes to low Earth orbit, or a geostationary satellite network in one launch.

2028-11-25 - After staying at the asteroid Onigashima for almost two weeks, the Momotarou spacecraft performed a burn pointing radially outwards from the Sun to return to Earth. Arriving six months later, Momotarou made a distant flyby of the Moon on 2029-06-03 before the crewed HTV-X undocked from the rest of the interplanetary vessel, which would pass 200 km from Earth. The HTV-X lowered its perigee to 60-70 km before jettisoning the service module. The capsule containing Kenji, Reiji, and Serika, as well as some asteroid samples, performed a slight skip re-entry to splash down south of the Ryukyu Islands. Departing Onigashima on 2028-11-25 Approaching Earth on 2029-06-05

2028-05-15 - An H-Z 204S launched the "Momotarou" asteroid rendezvous mission with Kenji Makabe, Reiji Nitta, and Serika Itou. It was named after the hero of a folktale, a boy who was born from a peach and journeyed to an island to fight demons (or ogres) and retrieve the treasure they were hoarding. The near-Earth asteroid that the spacecraft would be visiting was named "Onigashima" after the island. This continued the theme of "retrieiving treasure from an asteroid" that motivated the naming of Ryugu, the destination of the Hayabusa2 asteroid sample return probe. The design was a slight modification from Tsukuyomi - the heavy direct ascent stage was replaced by the lighter crewed HTV-X, the landing legs and ramps were removed, and since the spacecraft would be in almost-constant sunlight, four solar arrays were used instead of Kilopower fission reactors. The smaller heat radiators only needed to prevent liquid hydrogen boil-off [which it does as long as time warp is not over x10,000]. Thus, the spacecraft was 145 tonnes (30 t lighter than Tsukuyomi) and therefore did not need a third stage. However, Momotarou had the addition of an inflatable centrifuge ring, spinning to generate 0.1 G of artificial gravity. Launch proceeded with a transfer burn to the asteroid after parking orbit insertion, and a subsequent transposition and docking maneuver. It also had more advanced water recyclers, so less water needed to be carried onboard. A mid-course correction burn was performed at the end of July. On 2028-11-12 (six months later), Momotarou arrived at the asteroid, decelerating relative to the target. Then the spacecraft was carefully maneuvered using RCS thrusters to make a soft "landing" on the asteroid, which was about 1 km wide. The mission further tested technology for future crewed deep-space missions. (Note that the advanced grabbing unit didn't seem to work. This is a Class D asteroid in RSS; Class E asteroids and larger are also too large for the physics render distance (>2 km), and Physics Range Extender doesn't work for this. In fact, I had to swap another asteroid with this one in the save file) Right to left: Kenji Makabe, Reiji Nitta, Serika Itou

[JAXA+] Launched on 2028-05-15 by a H-Z 204S rocket, the "Momotaro" crewed asteroid exploration mission (Kenji Makabe, Reiji Nitta, and Serika Itou) arrived at the near-Earth asteroid "Onigashima" six months later (2028-11-12). The spacecraft, modified from the "Tsukuyomi" lunar lander, features solar arrays instead of Kilopower reactors (since the spacecraft is almost always in sunlight), and an experimental centrifuge with 0.1 G of artificial gravity.

2027-03-09 - After spending a year on the lunar surface, it was time for the crew of Tsukuyomi to head back to Earth. They boarded the ascent stage, which lifted off using 5 Lunar Module Ascent Engines (the center of which could gimbal) to a polar orbit, passing by Shackleton Crater one more time. The small ascent stage was capable of directly returning to Earth, and was powered by solar arrays. After Trans-Earth injection, the crew re-entered and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean almost five days later.

2026-04-02 - The Lunar Cruiser XL rover, an upgraded version of a Toyota concept, was launched by an H-Z 200S rocket. It was essentially a mobile pill-shaped base on six wheels, powered by a dozen RTGs, that could support a small crew for several months. The front of the vehicle had an observation cupola, while the rear had the airlock and access ladder. Lunar orbit insertion and landing used four expendable tanks with RL10 engines (CECE low throttle variant). As soon as the rover arrived, the crew of Tsukuyomi boarded and drove to the rim of Shackleton Crater and back. (also note that the Tsukuyomi lander slid down a 2 kilometer slope before coming to a stop) (one more thing: I should have put more RTGs, apparently crew habitats in Kerbalism consume extra power for "climatization" at night)

[JAXA+] The asymmetric H-Z Heavy 212L - 685 tonnes to LEO

[JAXA+] The H-Z Heavy 222L launch vehicle is capable of launching 900 tonnes to low Earth orbit, 1.6 times that of the Sea Dragon. 222L refers to the rocket having 2 stages, 2 liquid rocket boosters, 2 solid rocket boosters, and a long fairing.

2026-03-05 - A H-Z 304 rocket launched the Tsukuyomi lunar lander, which was named after the moon god in Japanese mythology. The crew consisted of Mutta Nanba, Hibito Nanba, and Takio Azuma, and the destination was the Moon's south pole. This H-Z configuration had third stage powered by three LE-7 engines, boosting lunar payload capacity from 150 to 200 tonnes. Tsukuyomi acted as a self-contained lunar base (175 tonnes at launch) with about one year of life support supplies, and a direct ascent module which the crew would ride on the outbound journey and the return to Earth. Landing occurred on March 9, near Shackleton Crater. The descent propulsion stage of Tsukuyomi used five LE-5B-3 engines (using cryogenic hydrolox), while the ascent stage used five LMAE engines (using storable hypergolic propellants). Crew transfer between the capsule and the base itself involved an elevator mechanism (Infernal Robotics) to reduce ladder climb distance. A folding ramp also gave crew access to the surface. The long lunar night required the use of two Kilopower reactors and large radiators to dissipate the heat.

A successor to the "Kibo" module on the International Space Station, the Kibo-2 space station was launched by a single-stage (with boosters) version of the H-Z (H-Z 102), which could carry 160 tonnes to low Earth orbit (not including the first stage). However, this station was designed as a "wet workshop," meaning that the first stage propellant tanks could potentially be converted into a vast living space; therefore, the total initial mass in orbit was almost 470 tonnes. The first stage was coated with a white sealant to preserve the orange insulation foam in orbit and prevent it from popping in the vacuum of space. At the top of the rocket during launch was a crewed version of the HTV-X cargo resupply spacecraft, which performed a transposition and docking maneuver with the station. The first stage engines shut down over the course of the launch to reduce g-forces and prevent the trajectory from overshooting its target altitude. (note: might retcon this later)

[JAXA+] 2027-03-09 - After a year staying at the lunar south pole, the ascent module of the Tsukuyomi lander launches to Earth, re-entering and splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean over 4 days later.

[JAXA+] 2026-04-06 - After being launched by an H-Z 200S, the Lunar Cruiser XL lands at the Moon's south pole using four descent engine pods, and takes the crew of Tsukuyomi (Hibito Nanba, Mutta Nanba, and Takio Azuma) to the rim of Shackleton Crater. (note: due to the lack of braking friction physics in the landing legs, the Tsukuyomi base slid down 2 kilometers before settling down at a flat spot) (the sun should be shining at the rim as it is a "peak of eternal light," and the Kerbalism mod is detecting sunlight)