KSC Rocket Fuel Factory: save money on your career save!

[H2O.]

Save money on your career save!

A good way to keep the cost of your rockets down is to bring them empty on the launch pad and fuel them on it. For that you need a rocket fuel factory.

At only 52 parts once deployed, you can let it just next the launch pad.

Put engineers on the pod and there you go!

Stats:

• 45360 units of liquid fuel
  
• 55440 units of oxidizer
  
• only 12 hours and 30 minutes to be full (works day and night)
  

Comes on wheels, press "stage" once you are on the desired spot.

Action group 1 start fuel cells and deploy drills.

Action group 2 start drilling and converting.

(Truck to go from the factory to the launch pad with the fuel not included)

download link (dropbox)

[SHiftER2O]

Wow, really? HHmm, gonna ping this a bing

[Andiron]

Save money on your career save!

The problem is that you don't have thoses pieces before a long time in career

[H2O.]

That is true, but as you advance in career, your rockets become bigger and bigger. Due to the nature of the rocket equation, the relative cost of fuel to payload increase. So it actually makes more sense to use this technique with huge rockets than small ones.

[Andiron]

That is true, but as you advance in career, your rockets become bigger and bigger. Due to the nature of the rocket equation, the relative cost of fuel to payload increase. So it actually makes more sense to use this technique with huge rockets than small ones.

I'll give you that ^^

[H2O.]

I just had an idea: this ship is a big exploit for career mode. If you launch empty and drill for fuel, then recover it; you will end up making a profit!

[Whippler]

Or you can just put the factory up, and recover it once the tanks are full to get funds from the fuel... and then put another one going... i tried similar thing, but there was so little money to be had form the recovered fuel that i didn't bother. Would have to make it in pretty large scale =)

[H2O.]

Yes that is what I was trying to say, actually.

But yes, you will have to be patient to make that into a business. It is basically grinding. Although I found fuelling your ship with a truck before launch pretty fun.

I definitively need to add a truck for the factory to be really useful.

[Captain Sierra]

Yes that is what I was trying to say, actually.

But yes, you will have to be patient to make that into a business. It is basically grinding. Although I found fuelling your ship with a truck before launch pretty fun.

I definitively need to add a truck for the factory to be really useful.

You want me to send the LFO version of this guy?

Comes with much wider wheel base to handle high speed turning better, also uses klaw for ease of docking.

[H2O.]

@ Captain Sierra: Yes please, go ahead. I will put it on the dropbox folder (with credits for you obviously).

[Foxster]

I made a gizmo like this a while back for Kethane. I parked it right next to the side of the launchpad, just close enough that it didn't stop new ships being deployed. I then made a hinged arm with a claw and a reaction wheel that kinda flopped onto ship to be filled. Worked fine and no need for a truck.

I'll see if I can recreate it in 1.0 as it was kinda fun. Bit useless really as fuel is cheap but it was still fun.