Share your stratolaunchers!

[AHeroReborn]

I'm looking for new ideas for launching big payloads. can you share your reasonably big stratolauncher?

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Stratolaunchers aren't really doable in stock KSP unless you don't care about losing the entire plane portion when it de-spawns after leaving the physics bubble.

You should probably mention what mods you have and are willing to use. (Does anyone know the name of the mod that let's you pause a flying vessel and then unpause it later? I can't remember.)

Also, this should probably go in the spacecraft exchange, or possibly gameplay questions.

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by Rocket In My Pocket

[Greenfire32]

43 minutes ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

Stratolaunchers aren't really doable in stock KSP unless you don't care about losing the entire plane portion when it de-spawns after leaving the physics bubble.

Agreed, but if you're playing sandbox and if you head-canon that part of the craft as "recovered," it would be cool to see some ideas.

I head-canon stuff like that all the time because of that pesky physics bubble. If I drop a booster and it's chute deploys, it's recovered in my book. And I almost exclusively play sandbox.

[kraden]

This might help. Works for me in 1.2.2

 

Edited June 30, 2017 by kraden

[TheRagingIrishman]

@kraden that mod has been updated by LGG in a new thread

 

[FungusForge]

2 hours ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

(Does anyone know the name of the mod that let's you pause a flying vessel and then unpause it later? I can't remember.)

 

Mostly certain its Airpark you're thinking of.

[kraden]

@TheRagingIrishman LGG is sneaking up and maintaining a lot of my mods now, lol. Thanks for that, I haven't updated to 1.3 so I didn't bother checking the last couple of pages on that one.

[Vanamonde]

This exchange of spacecraft has been moved to the Spacecraft Exchange. 

[fourfa]

Hoping to get some inspiration here.  Current GPP career is bogged down at mid-tech (Panthers/Goliaths and 2.5m rockets, no Whiplash or Vector/Mammoth).  I've got a great 100t Mk3 orbiter that I need to toss suborbital so it can circularize itself on 500m/s.  I'm using FMRS to fly the launcher back home.

[Exothermos]

Mine is purely a Sandbox-mode design, but it the basics should translate to a lower-tech one for career mode (gonna need those mods listed above).

Basically the whole thing is built off the center mk1 fuselage section embedded in the wing.  The large, strong, wing sections provide the "bridging" needed without using a ton of struts.  The main wings ARE auto-strutted to the catamaran hulls, however. 

The mark 3 fuselages are great because they are tall.  That allows a lot clearance without super tall landing gear.  The center wing section is also cantilevered-up to further accommodate larger loads.  Of course super-sized loads could be lifted by puting tall gear on the tall fuselages.  You just have to watch your CoM. (SSTO version shown)

Your payloads need to be pretty aerodynamic or any Stratolaunch plane will perform very poorly.  This design was aerodynamic enough to make an SSTO out of it, though reentry must be done with care.

 

Link to more description and Craft Files.