Private Division and Squad have announced that Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion is now available for PC. The second expansion for the critically acclaimed space sim is an engaging, feature-rich content pack. This expansion increases the objective possibilities once celestial bodies have been reached, by adding more interesting scientific endeavours and expanding the toolset.

Players have new robotic parts that include hinges, rotors, and pistons, in a variety of different sizes. These parts encourage the invention of creative vehicles with further advanced functionality.

Deployed science is another major addition of this expansion, which enhances the experiments and data-collection objectives that have gone hand-in-hand with space exploration. Players can utilise a storage container in their craft that can hold various pieces of science equipment. Upon reaching their destination, players can deploy equipment to monitor and collect data through assorted methods and relay it back to Kerbin, the Kerbals’ home planet. One scientific instrument, the active seismometer, even tasks players to deliberately crash contraptions into a celestial body to gather seismic data.

The expansion also changes the experience players have when exploring celestial bodies. New surface features are scattered across planets throughout the solar system and can be scanned utilising a new robotic arm attached to rovers. These surface features include cryovolcanoes, meteors, craters, and many more mysterious objects for players to investigate. Additionally, the expansion includes a new futuristic space suit for the Kerbals so they can travel space in style.

Nestor Gomez, lead producer at Squad, said: “We are always listening closely to the ever-expanding Kerbal Space Program Community, and Breaking Groundaddresses a long-requested aspect of the game that we have been working hard to fulfil: compelling reasons to explore and research planets. Players now have even more reasons to explore the celestial bodies of the solar system.”

“The creativity of the KSP community is something that never ceases to amaze us,” said Michael Cook, executive producer at Private Division. “Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion is packed with content that we believe will add countless hours of fresh gameplay, as well as generate some incredible new craft designs from players. We can’t wait to see what they come up with.”

The expansion is available now on Steam for PC.