You have the funding to get started, the permits to execute and (perhaps) the knowledge to perform...
To secure further funding and income (money burns faster than rocket fuel in this world), the first thing you must focus on is to improve your reputation and experience. And the way to do that is to prove to the world - or at least those that are important - that you are actually capable of successfully getting a rocket to orbit. Otherwise no one is going to trust you with their valuable satellites. In Space Manager we don't build rockets, we acquire them, and we secure their payloads and launch them to orbit or beyond. Reputation and experience plays a significant factor here. While we may be able to afford the biggest rocket of them all, the manufacturer might not want to let us handle it, if we have not yet proven our worth.
- While there are many vehicles to choose from, the cost also varies significantly
So for starters, we need to build our reputation. This is done by acquiring a vehicle like the one above and performing a test flight. Remember, most vehicles are for one-time use only and test flights are bound to fail, therefore test flights should be considered an investment in the future, and while you can load payload onto a test flight it will most likely just mean the loss of both vehicle and payload.
- Vehicle acquired, and ready for a test flight so we can learn, and future costumers can start to trust us
As mentioned in earlier posts, every parameter can be adjusted prior to a test flight (or mission flights, though this is where its advisable to trust our mathematicians instead)
- Use the manufacturers ascent guidance profile, or try something else
Having added a guidance profile we can now perform a Wet Dress Test (or "Wet Dress Rehearsal"), or start fueling procedures.
- New vehicles should always go through a WDR prior to launch, however its not a requirement...
Successful launches earns experience and reputation, failed launches earns experience but reputation takes an impact. A failure is not necessarily a bad thing, its a learning...
- Test flight on its way
Getting off the launchpad is the first obstacle. Then we look into the most stressful part of the flight. On earth we have wind, weather, atmosphere that all put an extremely heavy load on our vehicle while we fight gravity to escape. This is where everything and everyone gets stressed. In space everything is "easy" (no, not easy at all - but by comparison its a lot less stressful)
Stage separation is always exciting. Mechanical movements, explosive bolts, math to the test...
But having gotten this far will definitely help with our reputation let alone our experience.
- Stage 1 booster separation and successful ignition of stage 2 / orbiter
And so.. What comes next?
A successful orbit insertion of our no-payload vehicle and a lot of applause or perhaps a successful launch and some learnings that can help make us even better...