Lodestar
Reusable two-stage rocket
Overview
Lodestar carries satellites and the Corvid capsule to orbit, then flies its first stage back to land on a drone ship or at the cape. Nine Torch engines power the first stage. One vacuum Torch powers the second.
It is the only rocket in San Andreas that is reused as a matter of routine. Most boosters fly more than ten times.1
| Height | 71.2 m |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 3.8 m |
| Mass | 561,000 kg |
| Payload to low orbit | 21,400 kg |
| Payload to geostationary transfer | 8,100 kg |
| Thrust at sea level | 7,920 kN |
Record
Landing
About eight minutes after liftoff the first stage restarts three engines to slow down, steers with four grid fins and lands on its legs. Over water it lands on one of three autonomous drone ships.
| Drone ship | Station | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Read The Terms Again | Pacific, off Cape Catfish | Most landings of any ship. Named by the founder in 2022. |
| No One Asked | Pacific, off Paleto Bay | Entered service 2024. |
| Per My Last Post | Pacific, off Fort Zancudo | Supports SLC-4. Entered service 2026. |
Booster fleet
| Booster | Flights | Landings | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1042 | 19 | 18 | Active | Most-flown booster. Named Old Reliable by the founder’s son, Vector-Rho, age three. |
| B1047 | 16 | 16 | Active | Has never missed a landing. Not mentioned on the livestream as a result. |
| B1051 | 14 | 13 | Retired | Lost on landing during Veil-45. Recovered pieces are on display in the Veil City visitor centre. |
| B1055 | 11 | 11 | Active | Flew Aspiration 3. |
| B1058 | 2 | 2 | Active | Newest booster in the fleet. |
Refurbishment
Returned boosters come back to the hangar at Veil City, where they are cleaned, inspected and fitted with fresh landing-leg pistons and grid-fin seals. The fastest turnaround so far is nine days.2
Fairing halves are recovered from the sea and flown again as well.
Upcoming launches- Boosters are inspected between flights. Inspections take less time on boosters scheduled for Starveil missions.
- The record was set during a week when the founder posted that it would be done in seven.