Kerbal Space Program

2015 sandbox-style space flight simulator game

Kerbal Space Program (abbreviated as KSP) is a space flight simulation game developed by the Mexican company called Squad. It is based on real life physics and technology. The characters in the game are aliens called “Kerbals” who are astronauts. They live in a fictional solar system loosely based on our own. It has one star and seven planets as well as various moons. The player starts on the Earth-like planet Kerbin and can send probes and Kerbals to other planets and moons. Players can also build technology like satellites, rovers, space stations and aircraft. The game has both a sandbox mode with unlimited resources and money, and a more realistic mode where funds and material are limited. KSP is available for PlayStation, Xbox and Microsoft Windows platforms. The soundtrack is made up of freely licensed tracks by Kevin Macleod plus a few original tracks.

Kerbal Space Program
kerbal space program logo on the soundtrack album
Genre(s)Astrophysics Simulation
System(s)PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, PC
Players1
Synonym(s)KSP
Websitehttps://www.kerbalspaceprogram.com/

In 2023 a sequel came out, Kerbal Space Program 2.

Setting

change
 
The star system in KSP. From center: the Sun (Kerbol), Moho, Eve, Kerbin, Duna, Dres, Jool, and Eeloo.

Kerbal Space Program is set in the fictional Kerbol system (Kerbol is a combination of Kerbal and Sol, another word for the Sun). The System has seven planets, including one gas giant and two dwarf planets. The system is inspired by our solar system but has fewer planets, and is made smaller so the game is easier to play and run. The planets are, in order from closest to farthest from Kerbol:

  • Moho, based on Mercury.
  • Eve, based on Venus; unlike Venus it has a moon, Gilly.
  • Kerbal, based on Earth; unlike Earth it has two moons: the Mun (or Mün) and Minimus.
  • Duna, based on Mars; unlike Mars it has only one moon, Ike.
  • Dres, based on Ceres.
  • Jool, based on Jupiter. It has five moons: Laythe, Vall, Tylo, Bop, and Pol. Laythe has a breathable atmosphere and oceans of water on it, unlike any moons in our real-life solar system.
  • Eeloo, based on Pluto.

Besides planets, the player can also find, visit, and mine asteroids.

There are various easter eggs hidden around the system for players to find, including monoliths with the Squad logo on them (a reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey).