LV Series - partially reusable launch vehicles.

[katateochi]

 

The LV series are a set of Stock and Stock+DLC launch vehicles that are all built around a common design; A recoverable core stage with a pair of LFO boosters. The engines on the core stage fire from launch to orbit (no upper stages) and, on all except the 03 and 09, the engines are clusters, rather than a more expensive single engine.

The core stage has a small fairing-enclosed section just behind the main fairings containing all the components (probe core, reaction wheel, batteries, antenna, solar panels and parachutes for recovery). All the fairings are set to clam-shell mode.

The LV series are all tested carrying a payload at least a 6% heavier than spec’d (ie the LV-45 is tested with a 48 ton payload) and will reach LKO (100km) with at least 100m/s dV spare. In testing they were piloted by MechJeb’s ascent autopilot to ensure each test flight was the same. They are all built to be stable running at 3x physics warp all the way to orbit.

They're on KerbalX, here's a link to the first in the series https://kerbalx.com/katateochi/LV-03 or you can get the whole set here https://kerbalx.com/hangars/115373

 

[RealKerbal3x]

Nice LVs, @katateochi! In my latest career I've been developing a set of reusable launch vehicles too, they're fun to make

[Mars-Bound Hokie]

Impressive, @katateochi. I wonder what kinds of cargo (satellite/s, crew transit vehicle, fuel tank) you can put in your launch vehicles.

 

9 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

In my latest career I've been developing a set of reusable launch vehicles too, they're fun to make

Indeed, they are. Below is a link to an imgur album showing one I made after its payload was deployed, along with the associated craft file.

• https://imgur.com/a/kUVEECj
  • Full craft file: https://kerbalx.com/Mars-Bound_Hokie/Kirakens-Hand

[katateochi]

9 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Nice LVs, @katateochi! In my latest career I've been developing a set of reusable launch vehicles too, they're fun to make

5 minutes ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

Indeed, they are.

Yeah, there is something special about reusable kit. I've been really fixated on SSTO space planes for a while now, infact I built these rockets partly to force myself away from SSTOs for a bit, but still keep some of the reusable aspect. 
I wanted reusable, but also fairly cheap to launch which is why I went with engine clusters rather than more powerful single engines (also I was aiming for something based on the Falcon 9 design).

30 minutes ago, Mars-Bound Hokie said:

I wonder what kinds of cargo (satellite/s, crew transit vehicle, fuel tank) you can put in your launch vehicles.

Mostly Pizza! 
I have a rule that crew are only launched on space planes; they tend to be a smoother ride and also when things go wrong they can mostly regain control and glide back down even if all engines have failed. So I rarely launch crew on rockets unless they've got an LES built in. Which these could have, but these are more intended as unmanned cargo launchers; so basically anything; satellites, station and base modules or interplanetary craft (just without the crew, they come up via SSTO later). 

[pTrevTrevs]

Whoa man, I had no idea you were still around. I still watch your old Constellation mission every now and then and it's still great.

[katateochi]

3 hours ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Whoa man, I had no idea you were still around. I still watch your old Constellation mission every now and then and it's still great.

Yeah I'm still here! I've been a bit quiet on the forums over the last year, but never actually left, just lurking and keeping KerbalX running. I've been getting back into playing KSP again which is nice after a long break. Glad to see you're still about too!
I'm so happy that vid still gets views. I really want to do something like it again, but I just don't have the time for vid making these days.

[pTrevTrevs]

9 hours ago, katateochi said:

I'm so happy that vid still gets views. I really want to do something like it again, but I just don't have the time for vid making these days.

Yeah man, if you don't do a remastered version to outdo the old one I might just do it myself!

If I knew literally anything about recording and editing, anyway...