Kerbal Space Program is ready for more missions as they partner with the European Space Agency. Game dev Private Division announced that the new update would come on July 1.
The update, called Shared Horizons, will be the 1.10 update for Kerbal Space Program. This update will have two cornerstone missions to the game – the BepiColombo and Rosetta.
Just last week, Private Division challenged its players to recreate the upcoming SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. The entire challenge has the full endorsement of NASA.
KSP details upcoming BepiColombo mission
The first mission in the update, the BepiColombo, is a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The entire mission is to send a space probe to Mercury. In KSP, Mercury has the name Moho.
Big news, Kerbonauts: We’re partnering with @ESA for the 1.10 update #SharedHorizons!
We’re excited to add two cornerstone missions to the game, BepiColombo and Rosetta. Releasing on PC on July 1st. Coming soon to consoles. More info to come.
#ExploreFarther pic.twitter.com/k1W5QkofRH— Kerbal Space Program (@KerbalSpaceP) May 18, 2020
If players use the real-world mission as the basis, the entire endeavor will be large. The entire mission has nine flybys, with six in Mercury, one in Earth, and two in Venus. There are also orbital insertions in the real life mission.
The game would need players not only to land on the planet and do some science too.
KSP mission to pay homage to 12-year space adventure
The Rosetta mission pays homage to the ESA mission from 2004 – 2016. The mission was a detailed study of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. For the entire mission, the probe did six flybys on Earth, Mars, and 21 Lutetia.
The KSP mission for Rosetta will also base on the original mission. Similar experiments will also emulate the work done for the task.
The entire update will also allow players to build a full-fledged Ariane 5 rocket.
“Kerbal Space Program has already been an inspiration for an entire generation of future engineers and scientists, so introducing this level of realism will really take it to the next level,” says ESA Director of Space Transport Daniel Neuenschwander. “And the creative element of being able to build so freely is such a fantastic aspect. I really look forward to seeing the innovative ways in which players will approach designing their new space transportation services.”
In a tweet last week, NASA and Private Division encouraged its players to simulate the upcoming May 27 mission. In this transfer mission, SpaceX will fly a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS. It will carry a Dragon capsule, which will have two NASA astronauts inside.
Kerbal Space Program is among the most realistic space simulation games on the internet. The entire game allows players to simulate how to run a space agency with different analogs of real-life space missions.
Featured image courtesy of Private Division/Youtube Screenshots