What's the Largest Rocket you've ever built? Interplanetary and Launchers Mostly

[BigDog]

Bah! Giant vehicles don't count as a launch victory if you turn off the bloody gravity!

That was just to demonstrate the max stock VAB height, although it is B9 parts. I am glad I didn't waste my time building a launcher for it as I am going to have to decommission it due to the "bucking". As far as the Tug I have launched 3 of them with grav on, I turned it off to lagggggg over to Map view to get the part count.

If someone with better eyes than mine can count those orange tanks and give me a number, I'd appreciate it. I never knew how tall that thing was. I couldn't see all of it at once in the VAB for obvious reasons.

I just checked the maximum stack like I did for that B9 monstrosity and 10 is the most the VAB would allow without going into the floor.

[blubbermonkeys]

People here have very powerful computers, mine won't even let me go past 250 parts!

[TYRT]

My ISS core. Now its orbiting kerbin in 1M meter.

[Motokid600]

Bobcat's American Ares SRB boosters, 8x onion stage Soviet pack Energia stage two boosters carrying 430 ton's of Novapunch's 5m fuel tanks.

7308 Tons

708 parts ( smooth sailing on the cpu at .03 delta physics )

Payload delivered to Arcturus station. I plan on docking four more of the same craft. Massive amounts of fuel in an 80km orbit. Very handy.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Motokid600

[AncientGammoner]

Now if I could just find a decoupler that size...

[Black_Tomcat]

http://imageshack.us/a/img203/1752/wzj.png

The Hades III Heavy Lifter

This one might not be as impressive as what other people have build, but it currently is the largest single-stack lifter I have, weighing about 1100 tons.

I never quite tested the payload capacity, because I hardly use it.

[Smorfty]

Mission to Laythe.

The right half is the interplanetary ship.

The bit with six parachutes is the mobile habitation rover.

Left of that is an airship and left of that is a space tug.

This ended up being too laggy and wobbly.

Never bring this many crafts in one go guys, it's not worth it.

[Moar Boosters]

That was just to demonstrate the max stock VAB height, although it is B9 parts. I am glad I didn't waste my time building a launcher for it as I am going to have to decommission it due to the "bucking". As far as the Tug I have launched 3 of them with grav on, I turned it off to lagggggg over to Map view to get the part count.

I just checked the maximum stack like I did for that B9 monstrosity and 10 is the most the VAB would allow without going into the floor.

The size of the VAB isn't limiting though for repetitive designs.

Eg..... stack 10 orange tanks, then alt-click to copy the 10 tanks, and you can add on another 10 which clip through the ceiling. You won't be able to see them or make changes to them, but once you click launch they will all be there stacked 2x as high as the VAB.

[leax256]

an asparaagas staged 25 engine monstrosity that got 15k fuel to the mun using kw rocketry gianttanks and griffin XX engines

I have a video ofthe livestream somewhere. i'll go through the footage sometime and find it.

[Felsmak]

My biggest successful rocket so far would be my Saturn V analog. It could really use a LES, though.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Felsmak

[dudester28]

I don't generally build large rockets because my computer is relatively low end. The largest rocket I am using so far is to launch the core for a reusable interplanetary ship that holds 4 kerbals. It weighs just over 500 tons.

[thunderstar]

HOLY CRAPOLA! why you need such a big lifter?

[Holo]

My biggest rocket was a 7 mainsail launcher. I feel somewhat inadequate now.

[NGTOne]

Is this a rocket?

I was always more under the impression that it was a building with tracks and rockets strapped to the side. 2800 tons to LKO. No HyperEdit/Hack Gravity.

A view of it in LKO:

And, of course, landed on Eve:

Whackjob, I think I just gave you a run for your money

[LaydeeDem]

Probably my Apollo/Saturn V replica,

Meet the Ardepol II:

[allmhuran]

As far as my launches go this is certainly not the heaviest and maybe not even the largest in terms of overall geometric volume, but in terms of getting something big (and stock of course) into orbit this was probably the most difficult. I saw just a few weeks ago that someone made a more accurate mass relay with the introduction of the structural panels, but it was hyperedited up so I still feel pretty good about this one

[Whackjob]

I just checked the maximum stack like I did for that B9 monstrosity and 10 is the most the VAB would allow without going into the floor.

That's the trick. Make the root part the highest part, build to the floor, then drag the root down to the floor. Then build up. That's how I made that long rocket.

[Thorbane]

How did you get things to stick to the Novapunch fuel tanks? Everything I put on them has a tendency to detach for no valid reason, and also, they appear to be indestructible...

You need to put the super strong struts to attach the tanks and engines to anything. I put 4 of them tying the double stacked tanks together, have the engine attached to a 3.75m novapunch reaction wheel on the bottom of the tanks and supported by 4-6 struts like this

and then about 15 struts connecting that booster to everything else on that rocket.

[CrazedGunman502]

Here she is, right on the launchpad :

And here's Bob Kerman for scale :

[Sufficient Anonymity]

The largest vessels I've ever built rely on Orion drives. Here's a fully laden freighter bound for Laythe:

That vessel, however, was assembled in parts in orbit (yes, the docking did get pretty painful with the resultant lag). The largest thing I've ever launched in one piece was the escort below that accompanied a pair of the aforementioned freighters.

Each of these vessels is around 1000 tons, and has SSTO capability. With such size and power the main problem becomes steering. In each vessel, sat atop the bomb magazines for the main drive is a stack of half a dozen or so large reaction wheels, plus a set of low-profile LFO thrusters in place of a standard monoprop-based RCS thruster array.

Edited September 9, 2013 by SufficientAnonymity

[SRV Ron]

Not really that huge but appropriately named. It sent a probe to Eeloo with fuel to spare.

And, stitching everything together is a MUST when using Nova Punch mods.

[RoboRay]

SSTOs. That's something I've really yet to touch on. Is there any way of making a practical SSTO without reverting to the use of jet engines? Without air hogging like some sort of Kerbal Kirby?

Sure! Here's my DC-X Delta Clipper-inspired SSTO:

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I haven't rebuilt it since the design of the NovaPunch conical fuel tanks was changed, but I expect it's still workable.

Edited September 9, 2013 by RoboRay

[nawanabe]

where's the weight again?

I' think i've got a figure of just over 2,000,000.

[Kamuchi]

Been awhile ago... 2,118,577 slightly off the pad.

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Want to go bigger and still dream about it (without ubiweld) but the physics lag is a real domper

[Landge]

I would have to say my Redemption II Duna mothership. It's an orbital station, a personnel transport, and 4 remote rovers all in a single launch vehicle.

Sadly I don't remember how many parts or how much it weighed. Maybe one day I'll build it again, once I get a PC that can handle the load.

You can start at the beginning of the album to see how it developed.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Landge