Kerbal Space Program News

Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion, all new content for Kerbal Space Program is Now Available on Steam!

Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion is the second expansion for the PC version of the critically acclaimed space flight simulator, Kerbal Space Program. This feature-rich expansion is focused on increasing the objective possibilities once celestial bodies have been reached by adding more interesting scientific endeavors and expanding the toolset.

Explore the Kerbal Universe like never before with Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground, the latest expansion pack for KSP. Breaking Ground is all about exploration, experimentation, and technological breakthroughs. Study mysterious Surface Features on all of the moons and planets of the Solar System. Set up a base and deploy experiments for the long-term study of celestial bodies, and test your creativity with brand new robotic parts. Breaking Ground will help you and the Kerbals reach new horizons, all in the name of Science!

https://youtu.be/kIPVo5T1JwE



Take your creativity to the next level! Brand new robotic parts, include hinges, rotors, pistons and rotational servos. These parts come with new control mechanics and let you create all sorts of inventive vehicles and crazy contraptions to aid the Kerbals in exploring their Universe!




Find interesting Surface Features, like mineral formations, meteors, craters, and some even more curious planetary features across the solar system. Study them and collect valuable scientific data with a brand-new Rover Arm!




Bring equipment for experiments with you from Kerbin and deploy them on the surface of a celestial body to take measurements over time. Set up a science station and put your crew to work. From seismometers to weather stations, there are plenty of experiments for you to try out!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4foFCPjBQPU

Additionally, we’ve kept our promise that all players who purchased the game through April 2013 will receive the expansion for free. To redeem the game click here and follow the instructions.

Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion is now available on Steam, the KSP Store, and will soon be available on GOG and other third party resellers.

Happy launchings!

Welcome to our official newsletter, KSP Loading…! Do you want to learn about all the current developments of KSP? Here’s the place to be, so let’s get started!

Breaking Ground Expansion

With the release of the Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion just around the corner, our team is working very hard to wrap up the final details for this exciting DLC. We also thought this would be a good opportunity to dive into a little bit more depth and give you a better idea of what you can expect in Breaking Ground.

As we mentioned previously, this DLC is all about exploration, experimentation and technological breakthroughs. We want to give you more reasons to explore Kerbin’s solar system, more things to do while you’re on a celestial body and exciting new robotics parts that add a whole new level of complexity allowing you to build even more incredible crafts.



This feature will allow you to deploy experiments on the surface of celestial bodies to take measurements over time. You will need to bring these experiments with you, unpack them from storage containers on your craft and set them up to run. In order to do so you will need to place a central station, one or more power generating devices and possibly a booster antenna to get your science base set up. The experiments and power generators will run better if the right kind of Kerbal sets them up, thus giving you more reasons to bring Kerbals with different professions on an adventure.

Originally posted by Designer

We wanted to broaden the possibilities for future development, adding a time-based mechanic with deployed science, which also introduces inventory into stock KSP.

Let’s look at the equipment available for Deployed Science:

Probodobodyne Experiment Control Station

This part is crucial if you want to generate any useful data. Acting as the hub for all other experiments, the Experiment Control Station will distribute and control both power and data from nearby deployed parts, as well as coordinate the transmission of science back to Kerbin.


Mini-NUK-PD Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator

No science base will run without power, and the Mini-NUK-PD Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator will provide plenty of power to run a central station and deployed science experiments. If deployed by an engineer it will more efficient, if they are a high level one then even more.


OX-Stat-PD Photovoltaic Panel

An alternative power generator is the OX-Stat-PD Photovoltaic Panel, which will also be more efficient when properly set up by a trained engineer.


Communotron Ground HG-48

Although the Experiment Control Station has its own data transmission device, if you’re on a faraway planet, you might need to bring the Communotron Ground HG-48 antenna with you to boost the signal of your deployed science base.


Go-ob ED Monitor

The Goo Observation: Extended Duration Monitor watches the always enigmatic Mystery Goo for a long period of time on a planetary body. As with all the other deployed science experiments, the data collection speed will be increased when placed by a scientist, especially a ranked-up scientist.


PD-3 Weather Analyzer

This multi-function experiment gathers data on wind, pressure, temperature and humidity to generate a picture of the planet’s climate model over time. Naturally it will only function on a planet with an atmosphere.


Ionographer PD-22

This experiment allows Kerbals to analyze different particles and radiation incident on planetary bodies with no atmosphere.


Grand Slam Passive Seismometer

Unlike other experiments, the Grand Slam Passive Seismometer only operates under one condition… when controlled seismic events are created by crashing something into a planet. In addition to the excitement and fun of smashing things, you’ll collect data instantaneously with this device.
Click here to see all images of the Deployed Science experiments in high-res.



Surface features add a new component to the exploration of planets and satellites in the KSP solar system. These are items of scientific interest scattered across all celestial bodies. These features include meteorites, craters, mineral formations, and even stranger planetary oddities. Surface features vary in size and Kerbal astronauts will be able to pick up and return the smallest of them for study back at KSC. However, larger ones will need to be scanned and analyzed on-site by the newly developed Rover Arms.

Originally posted by Developer

Exploring celestial bodies and using rovers has never had as much value as we would have liked, and while the real Opportunity is now quietly resting on Mars, we wanted to give the players the opportunity to do more valuable science driving across Duna (and the other bodies) in KSP. So we added interesting new features to the surface of the planets that can be explored and have experiments performed on them.

These parts are used to gather scientific data from surface features. The Rover Arms come in three levels that you unlock via Research and Development, each of which has more sensors and tools that allow you to collect more science from the same surface feature. Only the largest Rover Arm has the full suite of scientific instruments, so you might want to unlock that one as soon as possible!
Click here to see all these and a couple more images of Surface Features and the Rover Arm in high-res.



With Breaking Ground, you will see four types of robotic parts - hinges, pistons, rotors and rotational servos. Available in a range of shapes and sizes these new parts operate under realistic physics, with real forces and torques, electricity consumption and even motor mass accounted for. We are also including a controller part that will let you coordinate the behavior of many different parts on your craft.

Originally posted by Developer

Giving our community the ability to build even more complex creations might seem like a strange idea for anyone familiar with KSP, but it is something the whole team is passionate about. I’m really looking forward to seeing what people can make and animate with the new parts and controller combination.

Hinges

Hinges will give you a limited angle of rotation between two parts. Perfect to create jointed machines for example.


Piston

The pistons give you linear motion. If set up right, they will allow you to create all sorts of craft with hydraulic-like mechanisms.


Rotor

Not much to explain about the rotor, it will allow you to generate torque around its axis. Maybe you’ll build a spinning space station or ferris wheel with this, or any other rotational contraption you can think of.


Rotational servo

The Rotational servo will give you precise control of angular position. Using proportional control, servos have unlimited potential to create all sorts of inventions, where you want to have precise control of the position of certain parts.


KAL Controller

The KAL-1000 controller can sequence the actions of all the robotics parts, and a number of other fields. Its gives you access to a powerful track editor tool to let you set up how parts will behave over time. Using the controller, you can set up complex cranes, walking craft, disco lighting or whatever your heart desires.
Click here to see the Robotic Parts images in high-res.



This futuristic-looking suit was designed to match the spirit of Breaking Ground. It not only looks great on Kerbals, but its seams glow in the dark when you turn on the helmet lights!

Originally posted by Artist

For the spacesuit we tried a few options based on existing concepts from real life space programs, but some of those looked too slim or too sci-fi-ish. We also tried different helmets, but something felt weird about the shapes, and as the Kerbal helmet is iconic, we kept the classic shape when designing a new one. Apart from the design, we wanted to give the suit something that the others don't have: An emissive light at the seams, something that comes in handy to help find your Kerbals when they are far from the sun or on the dark side of a planet! At first, we thought skinning the accordion arms would be problematic, but we managed to do it, and we are pretty happy with the result. We hope you like it as much as we do!

Click here to see the Suits in high-res.

Additions to the base game

With the release of Breaking Ground, the base game is also getting some updates that will add a few new features.

For starters, the inventory mechanic that is used by deployed science will be available in the base code, for modders to use and extend as they wish.

Additionally, we're adding two extensions to our action group system. The first one adds another type of action group for controls that let you bind input controls to fields - an axis group. The second adds Action Sets, which allow you to enable or disable sets of axis or action groups.

This extends what you can do with a limited number of keys, letting you put your craft into different modes of operation. You can even override the base controls with the action set feature, further fine tuning the interface between you and your craft. We developed these extensions to give players more options to control their robotics, but it certainly will be useful for stock and modded players as well.

Finally, we’ve added EVA portraits, so that you can check data on your Kerbals even when they’re out and about.

Remember, you can share and download crafts and missions on Curse, KerbalX, the KSP Forum and the KSP Steam Workshop.

That’s it for this edition. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!

Happy launchings!

Brand new downloadable content for Kerbal Space Program is on its way! Filled with new content and features, Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion will give new meaning to the Kerbal scientific endeavours.

Breaking Ground is all about exploration, experimentation, and technological breakthroughs. Study the soaring plume of a cryovolcano on Vall, mysterious craters on Moho, and even more new features on all of the other moons and planets of the Solar System. Deploy experiments for the long-term study of Minmus and let them collect data while you explore further sights. Test your creativity with a new suite of robotics parts. Breaking Ground will help you and the Kerbals reach new horizons, all in the name of Science!

These are the most significant features coming to Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion.



Brand new robotic will add a whole new level of creativity to your craft. These parts will include some new control mechanics and let you create all sorts of inventive vehicles and crazy contraptions to aid the Kerbals in exploring their Universe!




Scattered across the Kerbin System, you’ll find interesting Surface Features, like mineral formations, meteors, craters, and some even more curious planetary features. Study them and collect valuable scientific data with a brand-new Rover Arm!




Bring equipment for experiments with you from Kerbin and deploy them on the surface of a celestial body to take measurements over time. Set up a science station and put your crew to work. From seismometers to weather stations, there are plenty experiments for you to try out!




Kerbals are also getting a fresh new space suit to wear for their scientific endeavors! This sleek futuristic suit will make your Kerbals look flashy while they explore the canyons of Duna, the shores of Laythe, or any other exotic destination.


Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion will be released on May 30th for PC for $14.99 USD. And yes, we’re keeping our promise that all players who purchased the game through April 2013 will receive the expansion for free. We’ll provide more details on how that will work before launch.

Do you want to learn more about Breaking Ground? Then make sure to stay tuned for our next KSP Loading… where we’ll take a deep dive into the content and features of Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion!

Happy launchings!

P.S.: Click here to see the full High-Res screenshot album.

Hello everyone!

A new technology has arrived to the KSC and with it, Kerbals will only get more Room to Maneuver! We’re excited to release, Kerbal Space Program 1.7: Room to Maneuver, our newest content-filled update that will give players new features and wide variety of improvements to help Kerbals explore farther than ever before!

This update includes two new useful navigation upgrades, the revamp of all of the small maneuvering motors, including new variants for the Twitch, Ant and Spider, as well as a brand new galaxy texture map to have our astronauts mesmerized by the beauty of the celestial vault. A great deal of bug fixes have also been packed into this update, not two mention a new 3.75 meter nose cone and a 5m one for those extra-large fuel tanks in the Making History Expansion!

Let’s go through some of this update’s highlights:



Probably the most impactful feature within this update, the Maneuver Mode is a new navigation tool that gives you access to useful orbital information in both Flight and Map mode that will also allow you to precisely and easily adjust maneuvers nodes, all to help you fine tune your interplanetary transfers.

Click here to see a video showcasing this feature!



A long-requested quality-of-life feature that will allow you to toggle the altitude mode from Above Sea Level (ASL) to Above Ground Level (AGL) by simply clicking on the new icon to the altimeter. Hopefully this will improve the KSC’s survival rates…





This time around, small maneuvering engines were the focus of our revamping efforts. The Ant, Twitch, Puff, Place-Anywhere 7, RV-105 Thruster Block, and Vernor Engines now look better than ever, plus the Twitch, Ant and Spider include new stunning variants. On top of that, we’ve added new tuning values on some of those engines.





The game’s galaxy cubemap has been updated in Room to Maneuver. This environment map has been carefully crafted to reflect a nicer color palette and more defined celestial objects. With double the resolution, it will be impossible not to enjoy the view while exploring Kerbin’s star system.

Click here to see high res images.



Another small quality-of-life feature we’re adding to the game is the addition of a scrollbar to the Part-Action-Window. This will keep the PAW within the bounds of the screen when they get too big, something that might come in handy for players who use mods and fill those up



To learn more you can read the full Changelog here:

=============================================== v1.7.0 ========================================
+++ Improvements
* Upgraded Galaxy Textures.
* Add new flight UI mode that includes in-depth orbital information.
* Add advanced maneuver node editor, allowing player to edit maneuver nodes more precisely.
* Add an Altitude toggle function to the Altimeter. The altitude modes can be switched between AGL and ASL. 
* Part Action Windows (PAW)s now generate scrollbars and keep themselves within the bounds of the screen when there is more data than will fit the screen.
* Automatic AGL/ASL toggle values when in orbit. The altimeter value is set as ASL while in orbit, the AGL/ASL setting is preserved.
* The altimeter AGL behaviour when underwater calculates the vessel altitude from the sea floor.
* Update Addons and Mods external site link from Main Menu.
+++ Localization
* A localization tag is no longer displayed in the status section of the PAW of the Advanced Grabbing unit in the Asteroid Redirect Mission, Part 2 tutorial.
+++ Parts
Updated Parts (reskinned):
* 24-77 Twitch
* LV-1 Ant
* LV-1R Spider
* O-10 Puff
* Place-Anywhere 7
* RV-105 Thruster Block
* Vernor Engine
Color Variants:
* 24-77 Twitch (New "Orange" and "Gray and Orange" color variants)
* LV-1 Ant (New "Shrouded " and "Bare" variants)
* LV-1R Spider (New "Shrouded " and "Bare" variants)
Other Part changes:
* Add a 3.75 nose cone.
* Rebalanced the following engines: Twitch, Spark, Place-Anywhere 7, RV-105 RCS,Vernor.  
* Fix IVA external cameras in Mk1 Command Pod, MK2 Lander Can, Mk2 Command Pod.
* Fix EVA range on Cupola, HECS2, RC-001S, RC-L01 science containers.
* Previously Revamped Parts moved to zDeprecated. Parts revamped in 1.4: 
    - TR-2V Stack Decoupler -> TD-06 Decoupler
    - TR-18A Stack Decoupler -> TD-12 Decoupler
    - Rockomax brand decoupler -> TD-25 Decoupler
    - TR-38-D -> TD-37 Decoupler
    - TR-2C Stack Separator -> TS-06 Stack Separator
    - TR-18D Stack Separator -> TS-12 Stack Separator
    - TR-XL Stack Separator -> TS-25 Stack Separator
    - ROUND-8 Toroidal Fuel Tank -> R-12 'Doughnut' External Tank
    - Rockomax X200-8 Fuel Tank -> same name
    - Rockomax X200-16 Fuel Tank -> same name
    - Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank -> same name
    - Rockomax Jumbo-64 Fuel Tank -> same name
    - Mk 1-2 Pod -> Mk 1-3 Pod
    
+++ Bugfixes
* Fix PQS normals, stops planets from having mismatched seams when seen from orbit.
* Fix bug where symmetry would break animations on some parts.
* Fix input locks on Return to KSC button at top of altimeter in flight scene.
* Fix typographical error in the description of the vessel 'ComSat Lx'.
* Fix typographical error in the Suborbital Flight training tutorial description.
* Fix UI issue for purchase button on part tooltips.
* Fix vessel default name in rename vessel dialog displaying as an autoloc.
* Fix manufacturer localization on the Kerbodyne S4-512 Fuel Tank.
* Fix jitter in heading readout on Navball for vessels in prelaunch state.
* Fix "Learn More" text exceeding size of window in the Asteroid Redirect scenario descriptions.
* Fix flag decal on Male Kerbals Jetpack being off-center.
* Fix Kerbal falling off the launchpad flagpole causing the flagpole to explode.
* Fix bulkhead profile part filtering on MK-0, 2 & 3 fuel tanks, J-90 "Goliath", Communotron 16-S, RA-2, RA-15, and RA-100 relay antenna.
* Fix thermal overlay rendering on parts that have lights.
* Fix Debug tool saying LPE for orbit param when its applying Arg of Periapsis.
* Fix Atmosphere line appearing from the surface of planets.
* Fix Flags and Kerbals loading above terrain (flying) and flags being removed from game.
* Fix NaN bug in DV calcs when in orbit around CBs with no atmosphere.
* Fix site node waypoints duplicating every scene change.
* Fix service bays unable to click parts inside after jettison when part loads.
* Fix allow staging of interstage fairings after they are decoupled.
* Fix Mk3 cargo bay registering collisions and blowing up parts of vessels inside them.
* Fix Engine Plate handling in dV calculations.
* Fixed UI scale issue where setting high scale in UI, navball and altimeter would clip off some elements.
* Fix Kerbal helmet shadow rendering in "Simple" rendering setting.
* Fix decouple node function on docking ports in space.
* Fix shrouds being left attached to docking nodes when decoupled (now becomes separate debris).
* Fix Responsiveness audio setting appearing in red text in settings menu.
* Fix NRE on interstage procedural fairing in editor scenes.
* Fix AOORE when Kerbal leaves a command seat on a vessel that has an active ISRU.
* Fix issue where Delta-V app menu could become unresponsive in editor scenes.
* Fix Navball, funds, science and reputation gauges disappearing when UI scale set > 170% on some resolution settings.
* Fix NRE in resources app that could occur when moving the mouse over resources in the app.
+++ Mods
* Changed Animation behavior of ModuleDeployablePart, ModuleDeployableRadiator, ModuleDeployableAntenna and ModuleDeployableSolarPanel to be WrapMode.ClampForever instead of WrapMode.
* ModuleDecouple and ModuleAnchoredDecoupler rebased to a common class - ModuleDecouple.
* Add FXModuleAnimateRCS - handles emissives on RCS part modules.
* Add EmissiveBumpedSpecularMapped part shader.
* Make class DoubleCurve annotate Serializable.
* Fix version dependency checking for mods.
+++Miscellaneous
* None at this time.

========================= Making History v1.7.0 - Requires KSP v1.7.0 =========================
+++ Parts
 * Added a 5m nose cone.
+++ Bugfixes
* Fix cursor disappearing behind Gilly while moving the camera around the planet in Mission Builder GAP. 
* Fix export filename not updating when mission is renamed and re-exported.
* Fix user being able to select nodes from the left hand toolbox in the Mission builder even when that panel is hidden.
* Fix the Steam Select Craft to Load dialog window which generated NREs when using Menu Navigation on the Steam tab and launching in the VAB.
* Fix message dialog in Meet Me in Zero G stock mission.
+++ Missions
* The "Craft incompatible" text is no longer shown in the stock missions.

Kerbal Space Program 1.7: Room to Maneuver is now available on Steam and will soon be available on GOG and other third-party resellers. You will also be able to download it from the KSP Store if you already own the game.

Happy launchings!

BTW... You can download wallpapers of the Room to Maneuver art here:

• 1080x1920p (Most Phones)
• 1080x2220p (Galaxy S9)
• 1125x2436p (iPhone X)
• Desktop 1920x1080p
• Desktop 2048x1080p
• Desktop 2560x1440p