Building A Ship

Building a starter ship
To build a space-worthy ship, you will first need some essential components. Assuming you have set up a factory on a starter planet, these shouldn't be a problem to make:

 Necessary components 


 * HyperDrive - Allows you to travel faster than light. It is important for traversing around the universe. You will be unable to go to other regions (excluding planets and their orbit if you are in either of the two) without it.
 * StarMap - Important for navigating around the universe. It will allow you to view your surroundings (nearby stars and your solar system).
 * AirSupply - Provides oxygen for you to breathe. Remember; you can't breathe in space! Without this component, you would quickly suffocate in the void of space, or in planets without a breathable atmosphere.
 * VehicleSeat - The vehicle seat will allow you to control your ship by rotating it. You can configure it to use the mouse, or WASD + Q/E; whichever you prefer.
 * SpawnPoint - Allows you to spawn back at your ship after dying. Make sure to lock it.
 * A propulsion device - You can choose between a Rocket, IonRocket, or even a Thruster! Make sure to provide sufficient cooling while they are active, as they will generate heat.

Optional components


 * GravityGenerator - Provides gravity in space, without it you will not fall down. It is highly recommended, but optional
 * Telescope - The telescope will allow you to view the properties of planets. It's recommended so you know the conditions of the planet you are entering, and it's resources.
 * Anchor - Allows you to anchor your ship, which will make it immovable.
 * StudAligner - Useful to stud align your ship. It's recommended you stud align before working on your ship.

In this tutorial, we'll use all of these components. Go ahead and craft them, once you are done, return to this wiki page.

Building the ship
 ⚠️   Before crafting anything, always make sure to lock nearby, so you don't accidentally use your ship's parts   ⚠️ 

To begin, try to find a large, open clearing near your base. It will be easier to lift off if there are no obstructions; especially if your ship has large wings to house solar panels.

After you've found a suitable spot to build your ship at, begin by placing a small pillar. We will place our ship's base on it, if the base was on the ground, you wouldn't be able to unweld it later! For the material, grass or sand is enough; it just needs to be a few studs high. To this, attach and resize a piece of iron which will serve as the base plate for our ship.



For your ship to operate, it will need a source of power. We will use PowerCells to store it. One PowerCell should be enough; however in this example we will use 2. Craft them, and place them onto the ship. Next, we will add other essential components; we will start with the VehicleSeat. You should place it onto the front of the ship.



Next, we will set up our controls and life support. Craft 2 Switches, 3 Buttons, 2 Antennae and 1 Polysilicon.

You will now want to attach the buttons to the VehicleSeat, and configure their KeyInput (the keybinding you'll use to activate them). Set it to whatever you prefer.

Attach the switches to your power cells. On one of them, place life support. On the other, you will place your propulsion device and coolers. Attach an antenna to the button you'd like to use for toggling your engines on and off. Attach a piece of polysilicon (cofigure it to be FlipFlop) to the switch used for your engines, and attach the second antenna to it.

Connect your StudAligner and Anchor to the other 2 buttons.



Whew! That was a lot to take in! We only need to place a few more components, though. First, place your Telescope and StarMap; after that, your HyperDrive. You'll also need a button to activate it, so craft one, and attach it.

Next, you should ensure they are getting power. If possible, connect them to  both  PowerCells. You may also want to have your navigation systems on a switch, as they use power. (In the example I've also attached an instrument to be able to see the ship's power). You'll also want to place a spawn, if you don't like seeing it, you can always place it right below your base plate. You'll still spawn on top.



The only remaining step is to power it! We'll use SolarPanels, as they are relatively cheap, and require no upkeep. Alternatively, if you can afford it, Gasoline Power is useful. Solar panels can leave your ship clunky and hard to land, though beware that Gasoline Power, even if automated, can take a long time to make and you will likely need to micromanage when your turbine is on so as to save gasoline. If you do decide to use Gasoline though, you will get a significant source of power that should be able to supply any ship upgrades with sufficient power, as long as you have sufficient gasoline. Gasoline is also compact, and can easily be fitted into a ship. If you're a starter, you will likely use Solar Panels as they don't require as much automation as Gasoline to use, if you're not a starter though, Gasoline is a good bet.

Simply connect them to your PowerCells with wires. You'll want at least 6 or so, though more is advised if you can afford it.

Where to go from here
Hooray 🎉! You've built your first ship! All that's left to do now is to charge, and then reach for the stars! If you have any resources left at your base, you should pack those onto your ship. Also don't forget to turn on your life support systems before going into space.

Once you feel you're ready to depart, remove the pillar you built your ship on, turn on your engines, and point your newly built ship at the sky. You will eventually reach the planet's orbit. From there, your next goal should be to find a suitable planet to build a base on. Consult Finding A Planet for more details.