Fuel

Fuel, also called propellant, is an expendable resource used by reaction engines to generate thrust. Some fuels require another resource for the engine using them to operate, and others operate alone. Unlike some of these companion resources, there are no stock parts which collect or generate fuel^[outdated]; its only source is tanks added to craft during construction in the Editor.

Types

The types of fuel are:

• Liquid fuel
• Solid fuel
• Monopropellant
• Xenon gas

All fuels can be transferred between compatible types of fuel storage tanks except solid fuel, which is built into the same part as the engines which utilize it.

Liquid fuel is the most commonly used and must be combusted with a resource representing oxygen. For rocket engines it must be combined with onboard oxidizer in a 9:11 ratio of fuel to oxidizer. For jet engines each unit of fuel must be combined with 11 units of intake air continuously collected inside an oxygen-rich atmosphere.

Solid fuel works alone and is built into solid rocket boosters (SRBs).

Monopropellant works alone, most often used in Reaction Control System thrusters.

Xenon gas is used by ion engines, accelerated by electromagnetic forces, and requires electric current either stored in batteries and/or drawn from generators or solar panels.