How Many Satellites is too Many Satellites?

[Poryy]

Because I am very lazy, when my crew carrier on route to Khoine Base on Minmus got swatted by one of my 12 (Now 11) Minmus comsats (R.I.P. KSS Aelous), I decided, instead of sending a single replacement satellite, that I would send a full 16-satellite Probe Carrier. The carrier floats in orbit around Minmus right now.

My question to you is:

Should I release the comsats it carries to bring my total up to 27, or will that create more carrier-swatting hazards? I use remote tech, so I don't want my Unmanned Landers to lose coverage.

[Scotius]

That's the problem with KSP. Everything is so small, we can actually crowd the orbits pretty fast. Minmus is one of the worse places. Maybe try putting the sats in high orbit - well above typical parking orbits you use for manned missions?

[MR4Y]

Because I am very lazy, when my crew carrier on route to Khoine Base on Minmus got swatted by one of my 12 (Now 11) Minmus comsats (R.I.P. KSS Aelous), I decided, instead of sending a single replacement satellite, that I would send a full 16-satellite Probe Carrier. The carrier floats in orbit around Minmus right now.

My question to you is:

Should I release the comsats it carries to bring my total up to 27, or will that create more carrier-swatting hazards? I use remote tech, so I don't want my Unmanned Landers to lose coverage.

That would be no issue. As opposed to real life, you have no risk of Kessler Syndrome.

[Poryy]

That's the problem with KSP. Everything is so small, we can actually crowd the orbits pretty fast. Minmus is one of the worse places. Maybe try putting the sats in high orbit - well above typical parking orbits you use for manned missions?

Believe it or not, it got swatted while on a landing trajectory. Crew Carriers never get into orbit above Minmus, because every drop of dV counts.

I have some satellites in 50km orbits, and many comsats in 90-110 km orbits. My space station is in a 70-72 km orbit, and standard base module parking orbit is 90km, because it's easier to plot base intercept landings.

I'll put some comsats in a 200km orbit, though.

[AlamoVampire]

id say the instant you can no longer leave or land on a body because of the swarm of satellites is when you have too many. until that point, its: how much can you handle in loading range?

[Poryy]

id say the instant you can no longer leave or land on a body because of the swarm of satellites is when you have too many. until that point, its: how much can you handle in loading range?

I can take that as "add MORE satellites."

My satellites are pretty much just 2 OKTO cores, a cubic octagonal strut, 2 solar panels, and a communications antenna.

So I can handle MANY in load range.

[Hodo]

I know with the RSS mod and RT2, I currently have 4 satellites and working on more. Its not crowded yet. But I still have a massive amount of work to do.

My last save I had 18 satellites around Kerbin 12 were communications sats, 2 were mapping, and 4 others were either station or refueling drones.

[Poryy]

I know with the RSS mod and RT2, I currently have 4 satellites and working on more. Its not crowded yet. But I still have a massive amount of work to do.

My last save I had 18 satellites around Kerbin 12 were communications sats, 2 were mapping, and 4 others were either station or refueling drones.

These satellites are around Minmus, so there's no point in launching them 1 at a time. I use the shotgun method of satellite deployment. Activate the carrier, and when all the satellites are separated time warp a bit to spread them out.

[randomness5555]

I don't think I've ever crashed into one of my own sattlelites, though hitting debris from early stages when docking space stations has often been done.

[Poryy]

I don't think I've ever crashed into one of my own sattlelites, though hitting debris from early stages when docking space stations has often been done.

That's actually never happened to me. My rockets are VERY big, so you can see them with Distant Object Enhancement easily. Speaking of a Distant Object enhancement, Minmus orbit looks like a disco ball from my base because of all the satellites. I think I want to give it rings.

[kola2DONO]

Well i did once launch 48 sattelites into orbit using just a single launch...

[davieholgate]

add moar satellites

[User Unrelated]

I still want to see someone circumnavigate minmus with a satellite... one big ring!

I'm not sure if it would actually work, based on game loading dynamics, though.

I once "had to" (wanted to) move my main Kerbin station due to a large density of debris around it's orbit (I chose a LKO parking orbit of around 100Km, which is a pretty common orbit to be dropping fuel tanks and such.)

I also came within a couple thousand meters of it on a particularly speedy ascent to high-orbit one time, that was scary.

Now my main habitation station is WAY the heck out at 3000Km, because I figured out that it doesn't take all that much more fuel to plop stuff up there.

[Alex_Leonardo]

That would be no issue. As opposed to real life, you have no risk of Kessler Syndrome.

And that's why "gravity" wouldn't be realistic.

[Poryy]

I still want to see someone circumnavigate minmus with a satellite... one big ring!

I'm not sure if it would actually work, based on game loading dynamics, though.

I once "had to" (wanted to) move my main Kerbin station due to a large density of debris around it's orbit (I chose a LKO parking orbit of around 100Km, which is a pretty common orbit to be dropping fuel tanks and such.)

I also came within a couple thousand meters of it on a particularly speedy ascent to high-orbit one time, that was scary.

Now my main habitation station is WAY the heck out at 3000Km, because I figured out that it doesn't take all that much more fuel to plop stuff up there.

Challenge Accepted. I already have the capability, so I just need to spend the time.

[Madrias]

Satellites are amusing. I have to keep remembering to chuck mine into oddball orbits so I don't end up on collision courses. I've splashed more spaceplanes with the satellite it launched half an hour ago than I can count because I left the bloody satellite in the plane's exit orbit zone.

[Redrobin]

You can never have too many satellites...

[-RanZ-]

I don't know how you can be hit by them... the chances of that are so small that you would have to be pretty unlucky for it to happen.

[CaptainKipard]

I'd say 27 is too much. You only need 6 comsats to give you constant total coverage of any moon or planet (3 in a triangle around the equator and 3 in a polar orbit), and you can even work with 4 in a tetrahedral configuration if you can figure out how to actually launch something like that.

[Poryy]

I'd say 27 is too much. You only need 6 comsats to give you constant total coverage of any moon or planet (3 in a triangle around the equator and 3 in a polar orbit), and you can even work with 4 in a tetrahedral configuration if you can figure out how to actually launch something like that.

There is no such thing as too many satellites. Earth has many satellites orbiting it.

[Wallace]

You have too many satellites when your launches look like the rocket launch in Wall-E.

[kola2DONO]

Earth has too many sattelites, many sattelites are actually coliding into eachother :|

[TheHengeProphet]

If you're relying on them for service coverage, there is a "too few", but as far as "too many" goes...

A: Does the quantity of them interfere with launches? If no, see B. If yes, see C.

B: Does the quantity of them interfere with framerate performance? If no, see A. If yes, see C.

C: You have too many satellites.

[CaptainKipard]

There is no such thing as too many satellites. Earth has many satellites orbiting it.

That's a red herring

If you're relying on them for service coverage, there is a "too few", but as far as "too many" goes...

A: Does the quantity of them interfere with launches? If no, see B. If yes, see C.

B: Does the quantity of them interfere with framerate performance? If no, see A. If yes, see C.

C: You have too many satellites.

You should debug that script lol, it can lead to an infinite loop.

[Thiel]

Earth has too many sattelites, many sattelites are actually coliding into eachother :|

Has an unintended collision of two satelites ever actually happened?