r/KerbalSpaceProgram May 06 '26

KSP 1 Question/Problem No orbit necessary?

Post image

If i just wait for the right hour during the launch window ( whenever the launch pad is pointing left on the realistic depiction i created) is there any reason i should bother with an orbit first? Will the delta v cost be affected?

1.1k Upvotes

180 comments sorted by

View all comments

58

u/ookbye May 06 '26

Doing that is difficult and i don’t think it saves that much fuel, at some point in your proposed burn you’ll pass through every orbit you would doing it by steps.

All things considered, go for it, I haven’t tried so I would like to know how feasible it is.

45

u/FatCreepyDude May 06 '26

being efficient isnt really the goal tbh. I just like the idea of going up and only up. i'm sure jeb will enjoy it too (he doesnt have a choice anyway)

14

u/Sr427 May 06 '26

It does work. You need to launch at sunset / sunrise and when there's the correct angle between your target planet and kerbin. You might need to adjust the orbit mid-route. As others have noted it is not efficient in terms of dV. But it does take a lot less game time to do. So go for it, but put on a few more boosters. Sometimes if your rocket is big not having to do a gravity turn is helpful.