How to create surface bases and expand them?

**Planets Expansion Required**

*Some or all of the features on this page requires the **Planets Expansion** in-app purchase.*

A **surface base** or **outpost** is a project similar to a space station, but on the surface of a planet or a moon. This tutorial can help you how to start a base and expand them. For more about surface bases see Surface Base.

## Starting a base

Starting a base can be really hard, especially if you're ambitiously motivated.

### Planning

Before setting up the base, it is recommended that you pick the celestial body and the location for the base. For example, a Moon base in Mare Serenitatis. Once you're done picking the location of the base send a rover to explore the area that will be suitable for your base. Make sure the rover lands near the area of where the base will be located. Make sure the base is in a flat surface. It is recommended that to first build a base on the Moon before going to other places.

Bases are usually made of the following parts:

* Main Hub
* Habitations
* Oxygen Garden
* Airlock
* Laboratory
* Storage Units
* Control Room
* Spaceport (for landing and returning rockets from and to the celestial body the base is located)

In the game, these parts do not yet exist. You can get creative on them.

Bases may also have the following:

* Solar Panels
* Batteries
* RTGs
* Wheels (for aesthetics or mobile bases)
* Parachutes (if propulsion runs out)

## Bases on celestial bodies

Constructing bases on different celestial bodies can be easy or difficult. For example: constructing a base on the Moon is easy because it's near to Earth; constructing a base on Venus can be challenging because of intense heat and pressure, so you have to think of landing methods to get a base on Venus.

There are some things to consider when building a base on a celestial body:

* Thrust to Weight Ratio
	+ Engine Thrust
	+ Weight
* Atmospheric Drag
	+ Velocity
	+ Aerodynamic Capability
	+ Heat Tolerance
* Gravity
* Symmetry

### Bases on celestial bodies with an atmosphere

Constructing bases on celestial bodies with an atmosphere can be difficult, especially if the environment is unsuitable for humans to live in (e.g. high/freezing temperatures, intense pressure etc.).

start by orbit the planet after that burn retrograde till the orbit line reach the base

make sure u have a heat shield or your base will face intense heat and burn up

after the entry, you need to use your rocket engines to do a burn(when 450+ velocity), try locating the base and dock the base

##### Venus

Bases on Venus can be quite hard to construct because of its high temperatures and an atmosphere that crushes weak facilities. In the game, this feature is not present. Venus also has a rough terrain which can make bases damaged because of steep angles that can make it slip over the mountain. Try to construct bases on flat terrain (such as Lavinia Planitia) to overcome the effects.

##### Mars

Bases on Mars can be easy to construct because it has low gravity and a thin atmosphere that can be sometimes negligible. It can be usually used to terraform Mars or colonizing Mars in search for a new home.

### Bases on celestial bodies without an atmosphere

To get a base on a celestial body without an atmosphere, capture into the moon's orbit, then descend the orbit to a lower orbit. When the rocket is near the base, deorbit it and land (and dock) the modules on the surface.

#### Mercury

Same as the moon, but farther and stronger gravity.

#### Moon

Might be one of the easiest and closest to colonize (still might take a few attempt to dock without crashing)

#### Mars's moons

These may be harder to colonize because of the small spheres of influence. The low gravity makes it easier.

#### Io

A base on Io may be difficult to construct do to the moon's high gravity and jagged cliffs.

#### Europa

Bases on Europa may be easier to construct than most other bases, due to the extremely flat terrain, and relatively low gravity.

#### Ganymede

Due to its high gravity and sharp terrain, it may be difficult to build a surface base on Ganymede

#### Callisto

Because Callisto has the lowest gravity of all the Galilean Moons, it may be easier to build a base on Callisto, but ,like Io and Ganymede, the terrain is sharp.

### First Landers

After serious planning and the rover has found a suitable place for any bases to exist, it's time to send a lander to the site near the rover is located. It should be around a few hundred meters beside the rover. It will send the first astronauts into the construction site, and some special payloads (like science instruments) to study what the construction site feels like to live on.

After that, the astronauts can explore the site even more before returning to Earth.

### Habitation Modules

After the astronauts have studied the construction site, build or send some habitation modules to the surface.

## Expanding the base

After more planning, one can transport additional modules to the celestial body's surface.

To help build the base (and eventually expand it) one may need these:

* Rovers
* Docking Ports (to connect modules)
* Landing Legs (to support modules on the surface)
* Struts (for additional support)
* Parachutes (if the body has an atmosphere)
* Wheels (for rovers and mobility if a module lands off-course)

### Methods of Transport

Expanding your surface base requires a something to send those modules.

#### Rocket

By far the most easy, by putting your module on a three or four stage (if you count the decent stages) rocket.

#### Space Station

This method requires docking and may be more challenging to new players. By building a space station more modules can be transported at the expense of time. The space station can also be outfitted with habitation modules that can house astronauts, to eventually live on the base. The space station can also remain in orbit to serve as a refueling station or an orbital outpost.

## Post-Construction

After completing your surface base, it may be continuously operated or disbanded, depending on its [former] use.

The base can still serves its purposes if it isn't disbanded, and can be utilized for different purposes.