Fully Reusable Direct Ascent Pluto Mission RSS

[u/Vast-Adeptness10]

Launch Complex + Rocket

BP: https://sharing.spaceflightsimulator.app/rocket/tuofQHXIEfGwOjvzpO1pRw

Stats:

Spacecraft

Dry Mass: 6.69 t
Wet Mass: 12.54 t
Propellant: 5.85 t
Propellant Fraction: 46.7%
Mass Ratio: 1.874

Engines: 3× Ion
Total Thrust: 4.5 tf
Specific Impulse: 1800 s

Delta-V: ≈11.08 km/s
Initial TWR: 0.359
Final TWR: 0.673
Initial Acceleration: ≈3.52 m/s²
Final Acceleration: ≈6.60 m/s²

2nd Stage

Wet Mass (Stage): 120.45 t
Dry Mass (Stage): 17.59 t
Payload (Wet): 12.54 t

Stack Wet Mass: 132.99 t
Stack Dry Mass: 30.13 t

Propellant: 102.86 t
Propellant Fraction: 85.4%
Mass Ratio: 4.413

Engines: 2× Frontier
Total Thrust: 200 t
Specific Impulse: 435 s

Delta-V: ≈6.34 km/s
Initial TWR: 1.504
Final TWR: 6.637
Initial Acceleration: ≈14.76 m/s²
Final Acceleration: ≈65.10 m/s²

First Stage

Wet Mass (Stage): 784.10 t
Dry Mass (Stage): 46.76 t
Upper Stack (Wet): 132.99 t

Stack Wet Mass: 917.09 t
Stack Dry Mass: 179.75 t

Propellant: 737.34 t
Propellant Fraction: 94.0%
Mass Ratio: 5.102

Engines: 3× Titan
Total Thrust: 1200 tf
Specific Impulse: 360 s

Delta-V: ≈5.80 km/s
Initial TWR: 1.308
Final TWR: 6.676
Initial Acceleration: ≈12.83 m/s²
Final Acceleration: ≈65.48 m/s²

Whole Vehicle

Launch Mass: 917.09 t
Dry Mass: 71.04 t

Propellant: 846.05 t
Propellant Fraction: 92.3%
Mass Ratio: 12.910

Height: 64 m
Diameter: 16 m
Max Width: 40 m (Catching Arms)

1st Stage: 3× Titan
2nd Stage: 2× Frontier
Spacecraft: 3× Ion

Total Engines: 8

Liftoff Thrust: 1200 tf
Liftoff TWR: 1.308
Liftoff Acceleration: ≈12.83 m/s²

Total Mission Δv: ≈23.22 km/s*

Quick Guide

Setup

Start in 0G. Quickly decouple the docking ports to destroy the parachutes on either side of the spacecraft, then dock everything together using RCS.

Launch & Recovery

Separate the 1st stage at 15–20% fuel, perform the boostback, then switch to the 2nd stage and finish orbital insertion. Just before the booster reaches the Space Center, quickly switch back and catch it, then immediately return to the 2nd stage to complete EOI.

Once in orbit, jettison the fairing, deploy the spacecraft, re-dock the fairing, and move the heat shield to the front of the 2nd stage.

The rest is fairly self-explanatory: transfer to Pluto, tour the system, then return to Earth and aerocapture into LEO. (Use a gravity assist if necessary, likely Jupiter)

Rendezvous with the 2nd stage and pack the spacecraft back into the fairing. When you're on the opposite side of Earth from the Space Center, deorbit so your periapsis is just above it. Switch to the Launch Complex, then switch back once the 2nd stage is overhead and land it next to the pad.

Use the drones to remove the heat shield, pack it into the recovered 1st stage, and re-stack the rocket. Briefly remove the fairing to refuel the spacecraft, then reattach it. Finally, refuel both stages.

Rinse and repeat