State of the Sim – Part VI: The Open Space Launch Foundation

Meco Dev Project Tasks - 1 Oct 2024

Unreal Metahuman Tech Demo for Meco

Progress, Foundation, and Exciting Collaborations!

Hello, amazing backers! It’s been a couple of months since our last update in August, and I’m excited to share some significant milestones and the next steps for Meco Rocket Simulator and the Open Space Launch Foundation (OSLF).

Foundation Setup & Why It Matters

In the past few months, my focus has been setting up the Open Space Launch Foundation (OSLF), a non-profit charity registered with the Charity Commission of England. This foundation is a critical part of our vision for Meco Rocket Simulator, as it will own and manage the open-source core technology that powers the simulation—LorenLib.

Why is this important?

  1. Clear Open Source Licensing: We can clearly define which parts of the Meco Rocket Simulator codebase will be open-source with the foundation. The core technology, including the simulation and CAD generation code, will remain open-source and available under the GPL license, ensuring that the broader space community can access and contribute to these tools.
  2. Long-term Sustainability: By housing LorenLib under the OSLF, we ensure that the technology will continue to grow and evolve, even beyond Meco. This helps guarantee the platform’s longevity for other projects and collaborators in the space and engineering fields.
  3. Collaboration with Academic Institutions: The foundation is already building exciting partnerships. We’ve started collaborating with the University College of London Rocket Team (UCL Rocket), who will use LorenLib for their Race2Space UK 2025 competition entry. Through this collaboration, the Foundation also seeks to enable the UK’s first student space shot from a UK spaceport within the following year. We’re incredibly proud to support young talent in making space exploration more accessible!

What’s Next for Meco?

I’ve stuck with my decision to focus entirely on Meco’s development by refusing side gigs and using my emergency savings to cover expenses. With a burn rate of around $7,000 per month (mainly due to health insurance, payroll, and costs related to my vision-impairment-friendly vehicle), I’m fully dedicated to bringing v0.1 to life.

Moving forward, I will be dividing my time into three areas:

  • Meco Development—One–third of my time will go towards continuing development and bringing us closer to releasing the v0.1 Closed Beta.
  • Business Administration and Growth—One-third of my focus will be on growing Meco’s community, social media presence, and networking.
  • Foundation Work—One–third of my time will support the Foundation’s mission, partnerships, and role in the open-source space tech ecosystem.

Roadmap & Key Tasks for Meco

For those interested in the nitty-gritty, here are the tasks I’m currently working on:

  • Multi-element nozzle and gas valve test cases
  • Implementing constraints and turbine constraints
  • Steamworks SDK integration
  • Windows build preparation
  • Integrating LorenSim with Unreal Engine

The entire task list is in our development tracker screenshot below. We’re steadily progressing towards the v0.1 Closed Beta, and I can’t wait to share more soon!

Community Poll: Character Style Feedback

Thanks for voting in the recent poll regarding Meco’s character style! So far, 67% of you agree that we should adopt a more generic character style, with anime-themed skins available as addons. This feedback is invaluable, as it will help us make the game more appealing to a larger audience while still providing customization options for anime fans.

Closing Remarks

As always, your support has been incredible. I’m more driven than ever to bring Meco Rocket Simulator to life, and I appreciate your patience as we continue making strides. The setup of the Open Space Launch Foundation is a big piece of the puzzle, ensuring we can open up our core tech to the world while continuing to innovate in space simulation and exploration. Together, we’re not just building a game—we’re shaping the future of open-source space technology.

Thank you for being part of this journey!

Stay tuned, and feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions!

Best,

Daniel Sim

Meco Dev Project Tasks - 1 Oct 2024
Meco Dev Project Tasks - 1 Oct 2024
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