"cannot deploy while stowed". Why not?

[Clear Air Turbulence]

I am building a small transfer craft to take a space station component into orbit. On it I have a pair of Probodobodyne photovoltaic panels.

When I am in orbit and try to deploy them, I am told they 'cannot be deployed while stowed'.

When I test them on the launchpad, they deploy perfectly well.

But they don't wanna deploy in space.

Wot am I doing wrong?

[mabarry3]

I'm pretty sure it's a bug related to them being placed on top of a cargo bay. It's unfortunate when it happens but to the best of my knowledge there isn't much of a workaround. Usually when this happens to me, they end up working at some other point in time.

[Alshain]

Anything attached radially to a cargo bay is assumed to be attached radially inside the bay. I don't think the game is capable of distinguishing inside and outside.

[Gaarst]

Because.

[JTpopcorn]

You could open the bay, then they would not be stowed, and should work. Thats how I did it.

[Clear Air Turbulence]

Thanks for the replies

What confuses me is that the panels are not stowed, and not in a bay.

They are mounted on the outside of a (non stock) fuel tank

I also don't understand why they deploy on the launchpad, but not in space...

But I will try to change things around a little (perhaps change where they are mounted? and then see

[Alshain]

Thanks for the replies

What confuses me is that the panels are not stowed, and not in a bay.

They are mounted on the outside of a (non stock) fuel tank

I also don't understand why they deploy on the launchpad, but not in space...

But I will try to change things around a little (perhaps change where they are mounted? and then see

Hmm, I would question the Mod first then. Sometimes with the stowed engine bug you can return to the space center and then go back to the ship and it will work again.

[Clear Air Turbulence]

Yup. It's a composite fuel tank that contains monoprop and liquid fuel and it may have some bay-like properties.

[dangerhamster]

Had this a few times with antennas, even went to the trouble of carting a comms tower out to a station in Minmus orbit to have the original start working again.....