Ideas to optimize early pre-whiplash spaceplane?

[TheDog]

Hi,

I am attempting in one career save a very early spaceplane SSTO, without having the whiplash (and definitely not rapiers).

OK, it's not THAT bad... from Bahamotu Dynamics' mod I have the XJ-48k, which has quite similar stats to the whiplash (I believe), just comes earlier in the tech tree.

Anyway, it should be a small & light spaceplane SSTO, only requirement is to transport 4 tourists to an orbital experience, no cargo, no docking, ...

Just orbit reliably & enough fuel to de-orbit would be great

So far the best design after a few hours of flight testing is the "Hyper-X" (prototype, pending, use at own risk).

Problem: when flown flawlessly it can make just barely into orbit, but very often circularization is short of a few m/s of delta-v... let alone enough fuel to de-orbit

=> Of course I could make it longer, larger, more fuel,... but: maybe someone here does have a brilliant optimization idea, keeping the genereal fuseage & shape.

Anyway, I am grateful for all criticism and suggestions!

Craft file and pictures here: http://kerbalx.com/TheDog/Hyper-X

(parts mods: uses MK2 stock-alike expansion, Bahamotu Dynamics, and a fuel tank from KW rocketry)

[Wcmille]

Are you opposed to a vertical launch from a booster rocket? (Semi-reusable e.g. Space shuttle)

[TheDog]

not really opposed, just trying a pure spaceplane design here, to see whether its feasible so early...

[TheXRuler]

Well I haven't yet tried an early tech spaceplane, but one thing I think might really help is sticking some rato style sepratrons on, basically a radial decoupler with a bunch of, well, sepratrons. That should help you get a nice kick to boost your AP, if that is required, and they are really cheap ^^

Apart from that, go light, as light as possible. You might want to try something using only a singe jet and a few .625m rocket engines (if oyu have any of those unlocked) since they are really light and some of them get quite good specific impulse for amazing (engine-) TWR. Rocket engines are bloody heavy.