Small Shuttle

The Small Shuttle is one of the early vehicles in Astroneer, used for basic space travel after it is unlocked in the Catalog and built. It is typically the first shuttle a player uses to leave Sylva and begin exploring other planets. Like other shuttles, it can transport the player between planets, allowing access to rarer resources and new areas that cannot be reached from the starting world.

A Small Shuttle provides unlimited oxygen to the player inside its range, but that oxygen does not automatically extend to tethers or platforms unless an Oxygenator is installed. Since version 1.0, oxygen devices mounted on shuttles or shelters only supply oxygen directly to nearby players; they do not connect oxygen cables to tethers or platforms by themselves. To restore those connections, an Oxygenator must be placed on the shuttle or on a platform after landing.

The side slot makes the Small Shuttle much more flexible than a simple passenger craft. It can be used to carry extra supplies by mounting Medium Storage there instead of an Oxygenator, which is useful when bringing building materials, power, and utility items to a new planet. A common approach is to travel with a packaged Oxygenator and a Medium Platform A or C, then deploy the Oxygenator after arrival so the new base can function normally.

Useful items to bring on an initial flight include:

• Oxygenator
• Beacon
• Medium Platform
• Medium Printer
• Small Printer
• Tethers
• Canister
• Materials for a Soil Centrifuge, such as 2 Compound and 1 Aluminum
• Materials for a large platform, such as 2–3 Resin
• Power sources, such as 1–2 Small Solar or Small Batteries if Lithium has been found

After landing, setting up the Oxygenator early makes exploration much safer, since it lets tethers and other platforms connect properly. Establishing a printer, a soil-processing setup, and a small power network soon after arrival helps turn the landing site into a working outpost. Beacons are also important when departing a landing site, since they make it easier to return later.

Shuttles in orbit cannot land at a base if another shuttle is already occupying the Landing Pad, unless an additional unused Landing Pad is available. This means a base that expects multiple shuttles should have more than one place to land.

If a player lands somewhere unprepared and runs out of thruster uses, the Small Shuttle can still serve as a difficult but workable oxygen source while resources are gathered nearby. By moving the shuttle gradually, it is possible to collect Resin, Compound, and Organic, craft Oxygen Filters, and then expand farther from the craft. If Aluminum and Ammonium can also be found, a Solid-Fuel Thruster can be built to enable escape and further travel.