In Kerbal Space Program, most of the rockets that you fly arenât launched purely for their own sake typically they bring equipment to use in orbit, such as landers and science experiments. In addition to these minimum requirements for getting a rocket off the launch pad, itâs good to bring along something to do while youâre in the air. You need to bring enough fuel for your engine to burn for long enough to get you to where you want to go. Solid engines provide more thrust, but once theyâre lit, they cannot be shut down.Ī fuel supply. Typically, the more powerful the engine is, the less efficient it is. Different engines have different sizes, weights, efficiencies, and maximum levels of thrust. Several different kinds of engines exist in KSP: liquid engines draw their fuel from fuel tanks, while solid boosters have built-in fuel supplies. If your craft runs out of electricity and has no way of generating more, your craft will stop working.Īn engine. Uncrewed command pods (also called probe cores) are much smaller and lighter but typically require electricity to operate. They also donât require any electricity to operate. Rockets need at least three things in order to fly:Ī command pod, which can be either crewed or uncrewed:Ĭrewed command pods are bigger and heavier but can carry Kerbals on missions.

This mode offers a fun challenge, because it gives you a number of constraints to push against. In this chapter, weâll be playing in Career mode. There are no funds, contracts, or reputation, but you do need to earn science points to unlock parts. Science games are a halfway point between Career mode and Sandbox mode. You will also need to earn reputation points in order to get access to more complex and rewarding contracts.

In addition, your Space Center will begin at a very rudimentary point, and youâll need to upgrade it to enable your crew and spacecraft to perform certain tasks. In Career games, you must purchase your rocket parts with funds youâll earn by accepting contracts, and accrue science points to research technologies that unlock new parts. There are no funding restrictions, and all parts start unlocked. Youâll be prompted to choose what type of game you want to play. Launch the game, and youâll be treated to a view of the main menu, shown in FigureÂ 1-1. Letâs begin by starting a new game of Kerbal Space Program.

Kerbal space program free play