The 
Tier 1 Rocket is the first spacecraft you can build in Ad Astra, and crafting one marks the start of your journey beyond the Overworld. Placed on a 
Launch Pad and loaded with Fuel, it carries you out of the atmosphere and into space for the first time.
Every planet after the Moon requires a higher-tier rocket, so this is where the entire space progression chain begins. Production begins at the 
NASA Workbench, an advanced Crafting Table where rocket parts are assembled.
Building the rocket is only half the challenge. You also need a full 
Space Suit, oxygen, fuel, a Launch Pad, and supplies for the return trip. This article covers everything you need to go from the Overworld to the Moon and back.
Preparing for Space
Getting to space requires a production chain that starts with Steel. You need machines to produce Steel, a workbench to assemble the rocket, a refinery to produce Fuel, and a full Space Suit to survive once you arrive. Plan to set up the following infrastructure before you start building rocket components.
Steel Production
Steel is the foundation material for almost everything in early Ad Astra. Combine an 
Iron Ingot with 
Coal in the 
Etrionic Blast Furnace to produce 
Steel Ingots, then compress those ingots into 
Steel Plates using the 
Compressor.
16Steel Plates are used in the rocket, the Launch Pad, the Space Suit, and most of the machines you need along the way. Both machines require power from a 
Coal Generator. Power can be transmitted using Steel Cables.
Essential Machines
You need five machines operational before you can launch. The Coal Generator provides power to all of them. The Etrionic Blast Furnace alloys Iron and Coal into Steel Ingots. The Compressor presses Steel Ingots into Steel Plates.
The NASA Workbench assembles the final rocket from its components. The 
Fuel Refinery converts 
Oil into 
Fuel for the rocket’s tank. Nine Steel Ingots can be combined to create the 
Steel Block required for the NASA Workbench.
Oil Wells generate naturally in the Overworld as small surface structures. Pump the Oil out with a 
bucket or Fluid Pipes and feed it into a Fuel Refinery to produce Fuel. Each launch consumes 3 Fuel Buckets, so locate an Oil Well early and stockpile before building the rocket.
Space Suit and Oxygen
The Moon has no breathable atmosphere, so you need a complete Space Suit before launching. All four pieces (Helmet, Chestplate, Pants, Boots) are crafted from Steel Plates and Wool, with the Chestplate also requiring 
Oxygen Gear and a 
Gas Tank. Missing even one piece means you take oxygen damage the moment you land.
Fill the suit with oxygen at an 
Oxygen Loader before departure. The Oxygen Loader requires power and a water source. Place it near your launch area and top off your suit every time before you board the rocket.
Crafting
You assemble the Tier 1 Rocket at the NASA Workbench using 14 components: 1 
Rocket Nose Cone, 6 Steel Blocks, 4 
Rocket Fins, 2 
Steel Tanks, and 1 
Steel Engine. Every one of these parts depends on Steel Plates, so build up your Compressor output before starting.
Components
The Rocket Nose Cone takes 4 Steel Plates and a 
Lightning Rod in a shaped Crafting Table recipe. Rocket Fins require 5 Steel Plates and yield 4 per craft, so a single crafting run covers all four fins.
4
Each Steel Tank needs Steel Plates, a Gas Tank, and a 
Steel Rod. The Steel Engine requires an 
Engine Frame (8 Steel Rods + 1 Steel Plate), a 
Fan (4 Steel Plates + 1 Steel Rod), and additional Steel Plates.
In total, you need roughly 80 Steel Ingots to craft all the rocket components, the Launch Pad, and spare parts. Set a target of one full stack of Steel before you start assembling anything.
Fueling
The rocket holds a fluid tank with a capacity of 3 buckets (3,000 mB). To load fuel, place the rocket on a Launch Pad, then Shift + Right-Click to open its inventory GUI. Insert Fuel Buckets into the tank slot.
Make sure to collect more fuel than you think is necessary. After landing on your first planet, the Moon, you’ll quickly realise that you don’t have enough fuel to return home. Bring at least an additional 3 Fuel Buckets on any journeys.
You can also pre-fill the rocket item in your inventory before placing it, and the fuel transfers automatically when it deploys onto the pad. Regular Fuel is produced by the Fuel Refinery from Oil.
It costs 3 full buckets per launch and fills the tank completely for exactly one trip. 
Cryo Fuel, produced in the 
Cryo Freezer from 
Ice Shards, is three times more efficient at 1 bucket per launch, giving you three launches from a single full tank.
Regular Fuel
Cryo Fuel
Launch Pad
The Launch Pad is a 3×3 multiblock structure crafted from Steel Plates and Steel Rods. Place it on flat ground and right-click the center block with the Tier 1 Rocket item to deploy the rocket as a rideable vehicle.
The pad must have clear space above it for the rocket to ascend without obstruction. The Launch Pad can also fire the rocket automatically when it receives a Redstone signal, as long as the rocket is placed and has enough fuel loaded.
This allows automated launch systems without a player seated inside. You need at least two Launch Pads for your first trip: one in the Overworld to launch, and one to carry with you so you can launch back from the Moon.
Launching
Board the Rocket
Right-click the deployed rocket on the Launch Pad to mount it. Press Space (Jump) to start the 10-second countdown. Smoke particles spawn around the pad, then the rocket lifts off automatically.
Choose Destination
Once the rocket climbs past Y 600, the Planets screen appears. Select the Moon or Earth Orbit as your destination.
Land Safely
You arrive in a Lander that falls toward the surface. Hold Space to fire braking thrusters starting around 70 blocks up. If the Lander hits the ground at full speed, it explodes and destroys everything inside.
After touchdown, crouch to exit the Lander, then Shift + Right-Click it to retrieve your Rocket, Fuel, and stored cargo. Punch the empty Lander to remove it from the surface.
While ascending, the rocket engines burn any entity standing directly below within a 2-block radius and up to 30 blocks down, dealing 10 damage and setting them on fire for 10 seconds. Clear the area around the Launch Pad before igniting.
Essential Supplies
Your first Moon trip requires more than just a rocket. Use this checklist to make sure you have everything before you launch. Forgetting the return Launch Pad or fuel is the most common early mistake, and the game gives no warning.
Destinations
Once the rocket exits the atmosphere at Y 600, the Planets screen shows all locations your current rocket tier can access. The Tier 1 Rocket reaches Earth Orbit, Moon Orbit, and the Moon. Orbits are zero-gravity environments with no oxygen and temperatures around -270°C.
Higher-tier rockets unlock additional planets but share the same fuel system and launch mechanics. The 
Tier 4 Rocket has a 1.7x speed multiplier during ascent compared to 1.0x for Tiers 1 through 3.
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
Tips
The Tier 1 Rocket retains its fuel when broken. Punching the stationary rocket on the pad drops it as an item with all fuel intact, so you can carry pre-filled rockets and deploy them ready to launch.
Cryo Fuel works in every tier of rocket, not just the Tier 1. Once you have a Cryo Freezer running, switch all your rockets to Cryo Fuel and your fuel supply goes three times further. The Fuel Refinery is still worth building early since regular Fuel is the easier option before Ice Shards are accessible.
If the rocket crashes into a block during ascent or no player is seated when it reaches Y 600, it explodes with a blast radius of 9 blocks. Always board the rocket before launching and clear any overhanging blocks above the Launch Pad.
The rocket becomes immune to all damage as soon as the launch countdown begins. Before that, while it sits on the pad, punching it drops the rocket as an item with fuel intact.
FAQ
No. Mars is a Tier 2 planet and only appears on the Planets screen when you fly a 
Tier 2 Rocket or higher. The Tier 1 Rocket unlocks only Tier 1 destinations: Earth Orbit, Moon Orbit, and the Moon. You need to mine Desh on the Moon to craft a Tier 2 Rocket for Mars.
The Tier 1 Rocket accepts regular Fuel (from the Fuel Refinery) and Cryo Fuel (from the Cryo Freezer). Regular Fuel costs 3 buckets per launch, while Cryo Fuel costs only 1 bucket. The rocket’s fluid tank holds exactly 3 buckets, so regular Fuel fills the tank for one launch and Cryo Fuel gives you three launches per tank.
The most common cause is insufficient fuel. Check that the tank contains at least 3 Fuel Buckets or 1 Cryo Fuel Bucket. The rocket must also be placed on a Launch Pad in a valid planet dimension. Attempting to launch from the Nether or an unregistered modded dimension will fail unless the server config has “launch from anywhere” enabled.
No. The rocket becomes immune to all damage once the launch countdown begins, and that immunity lasts for the entire flight. While sitting stationary on the pad before launch, a player can break it by punching it, which drops the rocket as an item with fuel intact.
Place a Launch Pad on the Moon, deploy your rocket, load fuel, board, and launch the same way you did from the Overworld. The Planets screen will show Earth as a destination. You must bring a Launch Pad and return fuel with you, because there are no Launch Pads waiting for you on the Moon.
Shift + Right-Click the deployed rocket on the Launch Pad to open its inventory GUI. Place Fuel Buckets into the tank slot on the left side. You can also fill the rocket item in your inventory before placing it, and the fuel transfers automatically when you deploy it onto the pad. There is no separate Fuel Loader machine; fueling is done through the rocket’s own interface.
