Solar system

Terra Invicta models the larger bodies in the Earth's Solar System out to a distance of roughly 50 times the distance of the Earth from the Sun. This includes much of the Kuiper Belt and the group of icy bodies orbiting beyond Neptune.

The Solar System also includes Lagrange Points as locations fleets may travel to and stations constructed at. These are stable anchorages created by the confluence of gravity between two bodies and marked on the map with geometric shapes.

The Solar System modelled in Terra Invicta encompasses real-life orbital bodies (planets and moons) as well as the major asteroid and planetoid bodies (such as Ceres and Pallas). Each body has Keplerian orbits which can significantly affect gameplay.

Bodies across the Solar System may be colonized and developed by factions as the game progresses, leading to rapid industrialization of space which forms a core component of the game. All bodies with available sites for base construction can be probed in order to see their existing resources, and be exploited. Orbital stations can also be constructed around bodies.

## System Size Configuration

The amount of bodies in the solar system is configured at the start of a campaign through the setup menu. As of the demo version, four setups are available:

* **Full Solar System**- 350 Space Objects
* **Medium Solar System** - 250 Space Objects
* **Light Solar System** - 110 Space Objects
* **Minimal Solar System** - 70 Space Objects

While Solar System size alters the availability of in-game resources, the main purpose of this customization is game performance.

## Space Exploration and Early Colonization

At the start of the game (2022 start from the demo) any faction is able to interact with Earth and her orbits. Probing other bodies for resources as well as constructing bases, space stations and even population centres requires different technologies in order to have different segments of the system available to humanity. The basic exploration techs must be researched on the global research tree; and they are displayed below with some key unlocked bodies for the largest system size:

Exploration Unlockables
 Mission to the Asteroid Belt
* 4954 Eric
* 433 Eros
* 3 Juno
* 46 Hestia
* 4 Vesta
* 511 Davida
* 16 Psyche
* 52 Europa
* 354 Eleonora
* 1627 Ivar
* 3353 Jarvis
* 31 Euphrosyne
* 241 Germania
* 15 Eunomia
* 704 Interamnia
* 31 Euphrosyne
* 30 Urania
* 47 Aglaja
* 2 Pallas
* 10 Hygiea
* 52872 Okyrhoe

 Mission to Inner Planets
 Mission to Jupiter
* Europa
* Ganymede
* Callisto
* Thebe
* Amalthea
* Metis
* Adrastea
 Mission to Saturn
* Mimas
* Enceladus
* Tethys
* Dione
* Rhea
* Titan
* Iapetus
	+ Pandora
	+ Pan
	+ Janus
	+ Epimetheus
	+ Prometheus
	+ Atlas
	+ Calypso
	+ Telesto
	+ Hyperion
	+ Ijiraq
	+ Phoebe
	+ Kiviuq
	+ Paaliaq
	+ Siarnaq
	+ Ymir
	+ Albiorix
	+ Tarvos

It must be noted that these technologies allow the player to probe and construct in orbital bodies, while often opening other useful research options. Travel time for probing and construction will depend on the launch window at the time of ordering it, with the game also taking into account the shortest possible path from an able base. Earth is always an available launch site for any operation, while other bases and space stations can be built in other locations in order to serve as a better launch site. One may choose to construct using money and boost as currency, or space resources and a much smaller amount of boost if they are available.

The Solar System also allows the use of **Lagrange Points** with their respective bodies' technology. As (relatively) stable locations in space generated by gravitational interaction, they can be of extreme use since space stations can be built orbiting them and they can serve as important staging points.

## Orbits around Bodies and Ground Bases

### Ground Sites

With the exception of Venus and the Gas Giants, all bodies have at least one site where ground bases can be built; these can only be constructed after a probing mission to the planet is complete. Ground bases are configured from an original core habitat and follow a modular development. They can be created as mining or resupplying locations, or even as construction launch sites or upgraded into proper inhabited space colonies.

### Orbital Stations

A similar situation occurs with space habitats. They are constructed in a chosen orbit around a Lagrange point or celestial body and upgraded in a similarly modular manner. A key difference however is that space stations cannot mine resources (obviously) but they can interact in low orbits using the **interface mechanic**. Interfacing orbits allow stations to support efforts on Earth or a large inhabited place on any body, providing research bonuses using labs or other tools.

Further detail about **Celestial Bodies** and **Habitats (habs)** deserves further reading in detail.

## Ship Interactions in the Solar System

Orbital bodies provide an important role for spacefaring vessels, both for resupply and providing gravitational assists.

Depending on the Delta-V of a vessel, travel might be carried out by "hopping" between bodies for resupply, thus making their position crucial, while at the same time several maneuvers such as aerobraking and other utilizations of celestial bodies to "pivot" on a journey can be enabled by the player when travelling in space and connecting with a target. This leaves the player with an array of options for travel and base planning when expanding or pursuing the factions' interests.

Needless to say, different floating rocks in space may be of outmost importance for the success of a faction in the game, and much consideration must be taken when expanding into the vacuum of space.