Stearwing D45

Stearwing D45 starting from KSC(0.25)

The Stearwing D45 was a stock craft that used the Spaceplane Plus mod that was officially added into KSP 0.25. Like the Aeris 4A, it was a spaceplane capable of reaching orbit around Kerbin, but in contradistinction with Aeris, the Stearwing was not a SSTO due to the fact that it decoupled its jet engines. It was the only stock craft by Squad to have forward-swept wings.

The Stearwing D45 had a problem with the alignment of the center of lift and center of mass when all the fuel was drained.

The Stearwing D45 on the runway (1.0.5)

The Stearwing D45 had Vernor thrusters located in the rear fuselage as well as the cargo bay to make vertical takeoff possible. This was included so that those attempting a flight with it would not as easily strike it's two-turbo ramjet engines on the runway when pitching up.

The craft had been removed from the game since 1.1 as the craft could not complete an orbit without modifications with the new aerodynamics

Craft Description

“

The Stearwing D45 features a unique two-stage design: The first stage takes it up to the edge of the atmosphere and nearly to orbital speed. The second stage kicks in just as the turbines start to flame out, and twin LV 909 rockets take it from there out to space. The D45 carries a crew of 2 plus 4 passengers in a pressurized cabin, as well as up to 6 more in its cargo bay seats. Vernor thrusters are located in the bay and aft sections. Press 1 (twice) to disable them before takeoff. — Squad

”

Craft History

• 1.1 - Removed from the game, can only be obtained from previous versions.
• 1.0.5 - Slight revamp
• 0.90 - Some modifications
• 0.25 - Craft Added

Possible Improvments

• Removing the MK-2 passenger cabin in the middle of the craft removes enough weight for the craft to get into orbit with the updated physics

Trivia

Stearwing D-45 is the first and only stock craft in KSP to be removed from the game.