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Trying to build a HTHL SSTO powered only by Sparks and Junos as part of my campaign to win this challenge: I assembled a semi-Grand Tour ship in LKO and it's already on its way around the Kerbol system, but I wanted to build an SSTO spaceplane to pick them up my four explorers when they return, since they have no heat shields and only a single drogue. My payload, then, is merely a probe core, a battery, and four empty command seats. If I can get into LKO, they can take care of the rendezvous and then the return should be easy enough. I've gone through about four different design iterations so far, all to no avail. The best I've gotten is the following: In case you can't tell, the eight Junos are attached to the rear node of the Sparks and then translated forward, to reduce drag. Yes, it looks like a Skylon. No, that was not intentional; this shape was the result of a LOT of iteration. I've tried a lot of different ascent profiles but I'm consistently burning out at around 40 km and roughly 500 m/s short of orbit. That's if I use the Junos for takeoff and then stage in the Sparks almost immediately, pitch up rapidly, and slowly lower the nose to keep my acceleration positive. Some of my early iterations had a Terrier on the back end or other adjustments, but this particular iteration has been the closest so far. Any tips?
