Part 5: Mission: Skybreakers 3-5

While our engineers fiddled with new proposed designs, we continued with the Skybreaker booster and repeatedly attempted to launch a satellite again.



Skybreakers 3 and 4 both failed. On Skybreaker 3, the satellite stayed attached to the booster the entire time. On Skybreaker 4, a similar detach followed by push with the small engine that happened on Skybreaker 1 occured. Neither one exactly uplifted us.



For Skybreaker 5, we did two things differently. First, more RCS thrusters were fitted. Some of the engineering staff had argued that it would be too heavy and thus counterproductive. But they still were deployed for the flight. Next, instead of waiting until the satellite reached the top of its arc, we detached and fired its engine right after the main booster ran out of fuel, before it could slow down.



A successful orbit was indeed achieved.



The instruments transmitted, and we received the data we wanted. Unfortunately, after a few days of the same data from the simple instruments, my happy mood turned into one best described as "so what?". I should have been prouder of the achievement than I was.



Computerized satellites just seem kind of impersonal.

While the deadlock in the engineering staff between solid or liquid boosters for extra push on the new rocket continues, we've arranged one more piloted Skybreaker flight. It will not be pushing the capsule to its limits, but it will test the pilot.