Rocket

Rocket is the mobile spacecraft system used to travel beyond the colony’s home asteroid, transport Duplicants, research payloads, cargo, and specialized equipment between destinations. A rocket is built vertically from a command capsule, modules, engines, and fuel systems; once assembled, it can be launched to reach asteroid belts, space destinations, and resource nodes that cannot be accessed by normal means.

Rocket construction is processed from top to bottom, which matters when planning the layout. Research Modules can be placed above Cargo Bays so that a single launch can discover rare resources and bring them back on the same trip. Engines must be placed on solid ground during construction, but the ground can be removed afterward without affecting launch or landing behavior; the rocket will still launch normally and “land” in midair when it returns. Multiple rockets can also be built stacked in a single vertical shaft, and launching a lower rocket does not damage rockets above it.

Several layout rules are important when fitting rockets into a launch bay:

• Engines and thrusters are 7 tiles wide.
• Other modules are 5 tiles wide.
• Side tiles built adjacent to the rocket can prevent launch.
• Cargo modules that bring back resources weigh 2 tons, while Research Modules and Sight-Seeing Modules weigh 200 kg.
• Because of the weight difference, ten small modules can be replaced by one cargo module.

Fuel choice strongly affects both refueling time and range. Steam Engines and Liquid Fuel Tanks each hold 900 kg of fuel, but liquid fuel is much faster to load because it can be supplied through a single liquid pipe. By contrast, steam requires two gas pumps and takes much longer to fill. Liquid Oxygen paired with a Liquid Oxidizer Tank and multiple Liquid Fuel Tanks supports efficient refueling, and a full setup with one oxidizer tank and three fuel tanks can be refueled in a few minutes.

Rocket engines also generate useful heat beneath the engine block. With proper insulation, this area can become hot enough to melt many materials, which makes it useful for steam turbine power generation, lossless crude oil refining, or even melting Regolith. This makes rockets not just a transportation system, but also a source of extreme industrial heat when designed carefully.

Rocket performance is also affected by the engines, boosters, and payload modules used. Research vehicles with hydrogen propulsion can reach progressively farther destinations as fuel capacity increases, and solid boosters extend range further at the cost of additional Iron and Oxylite. Different engine setups support different destination distances, so planning a rocket often means balancing crew modules, cargo, fuel storage, and boosters against the intended travel range.

Meteor-related events are also tied to rocket travel and space operations. Various space events can drop Iron, Copper, Gold, Regolith, Oxylite, Ice, Slime, Uranium, Gassy Mooteor material, and Fullerene, with chances and event lengths varying between the base game and Spaced Out! Some events are affected by difficulty, while others are not, so the kinds of materials a rocket can collect from space depend on where it is sent and what event is active there.