[Stock] Sabertooth II SSTO -- MK2 Bay to High Kerbin Orbit

[Starwhip]

Fjord Aerospace Division presents another craft, this time a Single Stage to Orbit. The Sabertooth II can lift any payload (That isn't some form of super dense unobtanium, they say) that fits in its bay to High Kerbin Orbit. Just how high is undisclosed, but data shows that they have tested payloads to 300,000 meter circular orbits on several occasions. F.A.D. engineers designed the back portion of the craft after the cargo bay to detach in a single piece, so that space agencies around Kerbin could use the craft for any mission imaginable. ^{that is, so long as this "imagination" is limited to the space of an MK2 cargo bay.}

Infographic:

Spoiler

Flight Profile:

Launch

1. Once craft has loaded, throttle up to full and press "1". Accelerate to the end of the runway, and just before the end, begin to pitch up. The craft will rise easily.
2. Keep your pitch at approximately 25 degrees until your altitude is around 15 kilometers. If the craft stops accelerating, pitch down slightly until it resumes.
3. Pitch down to 0 degrees and begin accelerating to orbit. When your prograde vector drops to 10 degrees, pitch up to 15 to keep it up. You should be able to reach around 1,200 m/s or more.
4. The craft by default comes with 1,200 units of liquid fuel for the jet mode of the flight. Once you deplete the reserve, or the jets flame out, switch to rockets by pressing 2 and begin the second half of the ascent. Aim to be at around 25,000m - 30,000m or higher by this time.
5. Once rockets are engaged pitch up to 45 degrees. Your speed will decrease at this point. Once your apoapsis reaches 55km, pitch down to 0 degrees and push until your apoapsis is at your target altitude. (This is untested past 300km, but it should in theory be possible to go higher.) Cut the engines and coast, then circularize if you so desire.

Reentry

1. For a reentry from LKO, your periapsis should not be under 20km. For any other reentries, do aerobraking passes with your apoapsis around 30km or more until you have established LKO.
2. Activate the airbrakes by clicking the brake button on the altimeter. Both the rudders should flare out to the sides. If they do not, manually deploy them.
3. Embrace the pancake! For as long as you can, point the nose at the normal vector to present the most surface area to the atmosphere.
4. At around 50km the atmosphere should begin to force you down. SAS should be able to keep your nose up. If it cannot, keep it at about 40 degrees from the horizon. If the cockpit begins to heat up to dangerous levels (Not just show the meter), pitch up.
5. The Sabertooth has many things, but the ability to glide is to be wished for. Much slower than 100 m/s and she falls like a rock. Once the flames of reentry are less deadly (about 1,600 m/s) get rid of the brakes! You need that velocity. If you want to land at the KSC, you will have to be close by the time the flames die down. Keep your velocity above this stall speed, suitably above 200 m/s, until you are ready to land.
6. Deploy the landing gear, get close to the ground, flare up (The flare up angle is a bit large on this craft, you may underestimate it the first time) and once your wheels are on the ground, hit the brakes.

Download: Sabertooth II on KerbalX

Have fun!

Edited February 27, 2016 by Starwhip

[He_162]

I love the GIF! It's great!

[trooperMNG]

Actually one of the first SSTO I've managed to land. Very easy to fly. Thank you very much!

[Starwhip]

9 hours ago, He_162 said:

I love the GIF! It's great!

Thanks! It was fun to make.

3 hours ago, trooperMNG said:

Actually one of the first SSTO I've managed to land. Very easy to fly. Thank you very much!

You're very welcome.

[ghostbuzzer7]

20 hours ago, Starwhip said:

^{that is, so long as this "imagination" is limited to the space of an MK2 cargo bay.}

Very nice fine print their. Must have taken you a long to write up that "story" :).

I have yet to make an SSTO reliable to make 300,000 meters without running out of fuel around 80,000 meters.
Potential restoration of the starstreaker series.

[Starwhip]

1 hour ago, ghostbuzzer7 said:

Very nice fine print their. Must have taken you a long to write up that "story" :).

I have yet to make an SSTO reliable to make 300,000 meters without running out of fuel around 80,000 meters.
Potential restoration of the starstreaker series.

Indeed :P. Though I'm not entirely sure it is accurate. Might be able to stick two MK2 bays end to end there. I may attempt it.
Also, there isn't that much to SSTOs that can go higher up. This one uses way more LFO than jet fuel, the jets are only to give a boost to the rockets before they take over. In earlier versions you could almost get to orbit on jets alone, but alas, those are gone. (Not really. I've still got 0.25 - 1.0.5 (the pre-patch version) on my computer.) It just takes a little bit of fiddling to get it right!

Random fun fact: There was in fact a Sabertooth I. It wasn't so nice, but it worked.

Spoiler

Also, the first version of this craft wasn't so pleasing, though it glided much better.

Spoiler