jagged patrol
I was planning to make a rocket with side booster engines that are different from the main stage, but it strangely doesn't seem to give like lots of delta-v, only like maybe a 100 m/s of extra delta-v. Would it be better to use the same rocket engine as the main stage for the side boosters like how Soyuz uses the same rocket engine for its side boosters?
rustic pumice
Side rockets should provide no less thrust then the center column. This is because you want to rise out of the gravity well but also ensure they burn out quickly so you can drop their weight.
Also the center core engine should be optimized for mix or vacuum performance vs. Boosters are sea-level. As you rise the center engine thrust will increase to off-set the thrust loss of the boosters when they drop.
Example Swivel with Regent Boosters (swivel provides gimbal while regents provide thrust gain).
Things to consider:
Lift off TWR between 1.3-2
Center TWR > 1 after the boosters are dropped.
Asparagus staging if you have 4 or more boosters in even numbers to maximize efficiency.
Soyuz and other rocket designs can use the same engines, however you then need to ensure the side boosters will run out of fuel first or there isn’t a point to staging them.
jagged patrol
Side rockets should provide no less thrust then the center column. This is becau...
Understood. Currently the H-1 is like the engine with the most ISP I got, meanwhile the the engine I choose for the side booster is both worse at isp and thrust
Also, what does "Side rockets should provide no less thrust then the center column" mean?
zenith coral
the side rockets should have the same or more thrust than the center column
rustic pumice
If the center engine has 125 kN then the side boosters should each have 125kN or higher at Sealevel.
hazy vale
or, have the rocket have about 1-1.2 TWR without boosters, and put side liquid fuel boosters, a little bit smaller, with total liftoff thrust being about 1.5 twr ish. Then, using fuel lines on the outer boosters to the inner core is the final step
you can also do this with a total of 6 side boosters, commonly called asparagus staging
but with each pair of side boosters having their fuel lines be connected to the next side boosters
rustic pumice
or, have the rocket have about 1-1.2 TWR without boosters, and put side liquid f...
That’s the stock KerbalX concept isn’t it?
hazy vale
maybe the kerbalX uses that engine configuration, but im not sure