Kerbal Space Center

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Kerbal Space Center
Kerbal Space Center
Location TinyKerbin.png Kerbin
Coordinates
Map
0° 6′ 9″ S
74° 34′ 31″ W
Altitude ~68.41 m
Since version 0.7.3
The Kerbal Space Center illuminated at night

The Kerbal Space Center (abbr. KSC), located on Kerbin, is currently the only location that missions can be launched from. Featuring a number of buildings and structures on a approximately 25 km² wide plateau, it acts as a central hub granting access to all parts of the game. All buildings, except for the runway, are placed on hexagonal sections (mostly regular, except the one for the tracking station which is a truncated triangle).

Functional Structures

Vehicle Assembly Building

The Vehicle Assembly Building (or VAB for short) is a large construction facility at KSC, where rockets and other vertically launched spacecraft can be designed. Craft designed in the VAB can only be launched from the Launch Pad.

Launch pad

Craft designed in the VAB will be launched from the launch pad. This launch platform allows only vertical launches or starts of rovers, as it is elevated and planes don't have enough space to climb.

Space Plane Hangar

The Space Plane Hangar (or SPH for short) is a facility similar to the VAB that allows construction of aircraft and spacecraft in a horizontal environment which can then be launched from a conventional runway.

Runway

Vessels designed in the Space Plane Hangar can only be launched from the runway. It can also be used for landing. At the moment there is only one runway (09/27) in service with a length about 1.8 km going from east to west. There is also a runway on an island to the southeast, which is available for landing but not launching. By default, craft designed in the SPH face a 90° heading and start from the west end.

Tracking Station

The Tracking Station allows access, observation and management of all missions currently active, including splashed-down or landed ships. Note that this does not include crashed or otherwise ended missions. Any Kerbals, craft or debris safely on Kerbin's surface can be recovered here. Debris can be tracked and deleted here. Celestial bodies can also be observed at the Tracking Station.

Astronaut Complex

The Astronaut Complex allows hiring of astronauts to join the crew of future missions.

Flag Pole

The Flag Pole is located in front of the Astronaut Complex and can be used to select a default mission flag. It used to be located south-west of the VAB, but was moved in version 0.21.

Research and Development

The Research and Development building allows players to unlock spacecraft parts in career mode by researching nodes on the tech tree.

Non-functional Structures

Coolant Tanks

A big globular Coolant Tank with a climbable ladder as well as three smaller Coolant Tanks can be found southwest of the Launchpad.

Water Tower

Located southeast of the Launchpad, the Water Tower is about as tall as the former Launchpad Tower.

Flag Pole

A second flag pole can be found on the northwest of the Launch Pad.

Mission Control

A small building located south of the VAB and west of the tracking station. Its name can only be seen by crashing a part into it and reviewing the mission report, which will say “### crashed into Mission Control”.

Location of the KSC on Kerbin, From Orbit

The KSC is on a roughly square-shaped, sandy peninsula on the east coast of an Africa-shaped continent. To assist in spotting the KSC from orbit, please refer to this handy map (it's marked with the red arrow):

See also

Changes

Overhead view on KSC in 0.21 and 0.21.1
0.22
  • Added the Research & Development Facility to the Space Center.
  • The KSC Facilities have all been revised, and feature new ground meshes and many other graphical improvements.
  • Added lighting FX to several facilities. The Runway (among many other things) is now properly lit at night.
0.21
  • Added Astronaut Complex for hiring kerbals, seeing which kerbals are assigned to missions, and which kerbals are dead or lost.
  • Added small mission control that is not yet useable.
  • New Space Center modeling, buildings look more realistic
  • Space Center scene is now the same as the flight scene.
  • Space Center buildings now light up at night.
0.20
  • Added flagpoles
Overhead view on KSC up to 0.19. In 0.20 a flagpole was added.
0.19
  • Added new mesh/textures for both Launchpad and Runway facilities.
  • Removed Non-Functional Launch Tower.
0.18
  • Moved Mk1 pod memorial behind VAB.
0.17
  • Added memorial to Mk1 pod outside VAB.
0.16
  • Ladder on coolant tank made functional.
0.15
  • SPH and Runway added.
0.14
  • Tracking Station added.
0.7.3
  • Initial release - included VAB and launch pad.