For the additional stage, you're right. But at least it could be useful for Ion-4 and Ion-5 i think. It could also allow direct missions to long range targets, or something like Gaia or any Lagrange points missions with more heavy payloads. If you think about larger iterations, well we could have nice space tugs too.
If we just think Ion 4/5, this would be a lot more feasible. Maybe about 3000-3500kg wet mass plus payload?
A large space-tug version could go on the coming-soon Ion-6.
Of course it's always possible to find a "true" Zenit stage and do something with, but well... I've spoken with an employee of Ion Industry, and he told me that one of his friend told him that the enterprise aims to be fully independent in it's programs...
Ion Aerospace employees are talking about company policy? This is not good.
But yes. Keeping everything in-house helps reduce costs and allows complete freedom of design since there is no need to design around 3rd party hardware.
The exception to this was the one-off "
Finding Eagle" project, where SpaceX provided the launch and return services using Starship.
Whatever, do as you want, this is not a request, it was just a suggestion.
Well, unfortunately I think this one may go on the back burner since Ion Aerospace has a lot of projects on it's plate right now.
The Ion-6 super-booster is very close to first flight, there is the DarkMatter lunar lander in the works, and Deep Space DarkEnergy has reached the engineering mockup stage.
In the planning phase are a manned mission to Mars, and the Ion-7 and Ion-8 boosters needed to launch it.
However, if some engineers find extra time on their hands, who knows?
