Perpustakaan Digital ITB

Kerbal Space Program is a spaceflight and atmospheric flight simulation game developed by Squad since 2011. With its physics engine based on the patched conic approximation model of trajectory determination, it is praised for its accurate simulation of real-life astrodynamics. This model is particularly studied for this thesis proposal, concerning the simulation and subsequent analysis of the simulated telemetry of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Flight 68, carrying Nusantara Satu satellite into a geostationary transfer orbit trajectory. Simulation is carried out in KSP by automating the launch using kOS and recorded using MechJeb. GMAT simulation is modelled using a Hohmann transfer trajectory. After a thorough comparison between simulations carried out in GMAT and KSP, from variables such as altitude, velocity, acceleration, among others, the error from said analysis cannot be ignored. This is attributed to the setup of the experiment and the intricacies of the simulation itself. With this, the author concluded that as installed KSP cannot satisfactorily simulate real spaceflight, unless other modifications are installed to improve the experiment setup as well as a more suitable launch analysis program as a benchmark.