The Houndstone launch-vehicle ready to take the successful StarComm probe into space
Developed by DAA Aerospace, the Houndstone I has taken three satellites into orbit to date, with another one due soon.
In an interview with Jebediah Kerman, he stated:
'It is a powerful rocket. Too powerful for the job it does at the moment. I think on our first mission the second-stage booster still had over half of it's fuel remaining. But I'm sure that once the equipment we send up get's more advanced, and therefore heavier, the rocket will come into it's own. And it's always better to be over powered than under powered!'
The first stage is a tri-engined set-up, using three S1-48A boosters strapped together with LV-T45 rocket motors. It is simply a modified version of the X-1 and X-2 system. This will take the vehicle above 40-50km (depending on payload weight) before being jettisoned and falling back into the sea. The second stage will then ignite and push the probe into orbit around Kerbin. The S2-4A vehicle is also fitted with an RCS system, which allows for attitude control in a vacuum. Once the probe is released, the S2 booster will usually remain in orbit around Kerbin to forever trail the satellite.
A diagram breaking down the stages
The Houndstone is also the largest rocket to date, towering above any of it's predecessors:
A size comparison of all the vehicles developed and launched at the KSC
Whenever I asked if the Houndstone launch vehicle will continue to take our satellites into orbit for the foreseeable future, I usually got a few raised eyebrows. Although the engineers didn't like to say much, they hinted that it was an expensive and over-the-top piece of engineering. I got the impression from them that it was designed for something else other than the relatively light-weight satellites it continues to push above our atmosphere. Jebediah just grinned when I asked if it was designed more towards putting Kerbal's into space, rather than satellites.
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