A Precision Aeronautics "Sigma I" rocket launches on a test flight from its pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Sigma is a creation by Mark Prince and his aeronautics company, derived from and licensed with the historic Atlas ICBM and later space launch booster.

It is a stage and a half design, using thin walled stainless steel balloon tanks and carbon fiber components. It uses hypergolic fuels to simplify ignition, and is adaptable to a number of upper stages for various payload needs. Like the Atlas booster, it ignites all three engines on the ground, plus its two verniers for roll control. At two minutes into flight, BECO occurs; the booster section is jettisoned, leaving the sustainer to continue to thrust. Because of the light weight nature of the fuel tanks, there is minimal weight penalty. At SECO, the sustainer is shut off and the second stage ignites, carrying the paylod to LEO, or a parking orbit for GTO.

I drew this with watercolors out of boredom. I haven't done watercolors in two years, and had an itching to break it out and see what I could create.