From Kerbal Space Program Wiki
Revision as of 02:51, 13 April 2013 by Vivalas (talk | contribs) (Added Picture of north pole)
Jump to: navigation, search


Kerbin is the home planet of the Kerbals, the location of the Space Center, and the main focus of Kerbal Space Program. It is the Earth analog for the game. It has two moons, named Mün and Minmus.

Kerbin is the third planet in orbit around the star Kerbol. It is the third largest planet (after Jool and Eve) and the fourth largest celestial object around Kerbol (with Tylo, a moon of Jool, being slightly larger).

Reaching a stable orbit around Kerbin is one of the first milestones a player might achieve in the game. Achieving such an orbit with a fuel-optimal ascent[1] requires a delta-V of ≈4500 m/s,[2] the second largest of all celestial bodies with a solid surface after Eve. For many interplanetary missions, this represents over half of the flight's total delta-V requirement. This is also true of Earth-based interplanetary spaceflights, leading one observer to remark that:




Topographical representation of Kerbin's surface as of .18.2. Click for high resolution. by Zeroignite

Kerbin has a roughly equal distribution of surface liquid water and solid land, with polar icecaps and scattered deserts. There are mountains exceeding 4 km in height, with the tallest peak being just under 4044 m in altitude.

Kerbin shows signs of having been impacted by an asteroid or comet. That is visible in the large crater in the western hemisphere. The crater's central peak is visible from orbit and was caused by the compression followed by the rebound of material in the center of the crater.


Kerbin's atmosphere contains oxygen and extends to roughly 69,078 meters. Its atmosphere becomes exponentially less dense as altitude increases (with a scale height of 5 km).[3] In general, the atmospheric pressure on Kerbin, at an altitude expressed in meters, is:

The thickness of Kerbin's atmosphere makes it suitable for aerobraking and using parachutes, useful for saving on fuel when spacecraft return to Kerbin. Note that debris is not affected by air resistance above approximately 10 km, so spent stages may continue in a stable orbit even if they are going through thick atmosphere that would stop an active craft (0.19).

The following table gives approximation of terminal velocities at different Kerbin altitudes. These are also the velocities at which a ship should travel for a fuel-optimal ascent from Kerbin, given the game's model of atmospheric drag (0.18.1).[4]

Altitude (m) Velocity (m/s)
0 97.3
1000 110
3000 130
5000 160
8000 215
10000 260
15000 425
32000 2250


A Stayputnik Orbiter

Geosynchronous orbit is achieved at an altitude of 0.00 m and a speed of Expression error: Unexpected < operator. m/s. From a 70 km low equatorial orbit, the periapsis maneuver requires 676.5 m/s and the apoapsis maneuver requires 434.9 m/s. A semi-synchronous orbit with an orbital period of 1/2 of Kerbin's rotation period (3 hours or 10800 seconds) is achieved at an altitude of 0.00 m with an orbital velocity of Expression error: Unexpected < operator. m/s.

Interplanetary Travel


Body Delta-V
Mün ~860 m/s
Minmus ~930 m/s
Eve ~1033 m/s
Duna ~1060 m/s
Moho ~1676 m/s
Jool ~1915 m/s
Eeloo ~2100 m/s
KEO (comparison) ~1120 m/s

Reference Frames

Time warp Minimum Altitude
5× 70 000 m (above the atmosphere)
10× 70 000 m (above the atmosphere)
50× 70 000 m (above the atmosphere)
100× 120 000 m
1 000× 240 000 m
10 000× 480 000 m
100 000× 600 000 m



  • Several Easter Eggs added.
  • Improved atmosphere visuals.
  • Terrain overhaul, oceans became wet.
  • Atmosphere extended from ~34,500 m to ~69,000 m.
  • Initial Release




English  • čeština • dansk • Deutsch • español • français • עברית • magyar • italiano • 日本語 • 한국어 • Nederlands • norsk bokmål • polski • português • русский • svenska • ไทย • Türkçe