Every Ostranauts captain eventually hits the same wall: you can fly the ship, but you cannot make it work without the right Ostranauts ship components list committed to memory. The game ships with dozens of installable parts across hulls, engines, life support, weapons, and sensors, and choosing the wrong mix can leave you stranded in the K-Leg yard or vaporized in your first real engagement.
This Ostranauts ship components list breaks down every major category of part you will mount on your vessel, from the bulkhead tiles that define your interior layout to the thrusters and reactor cores that keep your crew alive between dockings. Each section includes concrete data on weight, power draw, and use cases so you can match components to your playstyle, whether you run a stripped-down salvage skiff or a heavily armed long-hauler.
If you are still figuring out the basics of where to mount these parts, the official Ship Building wiki is a strong companion reference. For a broader look at how components fit into a finished vessel, see our guide on Ostranauts ship design.
Hull, Bulkhead, and Structural Components
The hull is the skeleton of every ship in Ostranauts. According to the Ship Building reference, the game uses a tile-and-grid system where each cell can hold a hull piece, a structural wall, a door, or a piece of equipment. Your choice of hull material determines mass, hit points, atmospheric integrity, and how much interior volume you actually gain per tile.
Standard Hull Plates
Hull plates are the largest, most visible component on any Ostranauts ship components list. Light plates keep your ship agile but buckle faster under fire, while reinforced plates absorb kinetic damage at the cost of thrust efficiency. Heavy industrial plates are common on salvage tugs because they shrug off debris impacts during recovery operations.
Internal Bulkheads, Doors, and Decks
Bulkheads subdivide your interior into rooms, and rooms matter because they localize fires, pressure loss, and electrical faults. Doors control traffic between rooms, and airtight doors are essential if your ship ever vents atmosphere. Deck plating is treated as its own component and affects how easily your crew can traverse the ship, which matters for repair speed during combat.
| Component | Typical Mass | Best Use Case | Trade-Off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Hull Plate | Low | Scout and courier builds | Fragile under sustained fire |
| Standard Hull Plate | Medium | General-purpose haulers | Balanced mass vs. durability |
| Reinforced Hull Plate | High | Combat and salvage hulls | Reduced acceleration and turn rate |
| Airtight Bulkhead | Medium | Room separation with atmosphere control | Requires door slot to access room |
| Heavy Deck Plate | High | Industrial ships with heavy equipment | Slows crew movement |
If you want a deeper look at how these pieces snap together, our Ostranauts ship building walkthrough covers the full placement workflow. For finishing touches after the hull is laid in, the Ostranauts ship customization guide covers paint, markings, and trim components.
Propulsion, Engines, and Thruster Systems
Without propulsion, a ship is a station. The engine tier on your Ostranauts ship components list determines how fast you accelerate, how quickly you change vector, and how much delta-V you burn on long transits between K-Leg and deep-space salvage wrecks.
Main Engines
Main engines come in several sizes, from small civilian thrusters to large industrial drives. Bigger engines produce more thrust but draw more power, generate more heat, and add noticeable mass. Most players start with a stock main engine from their starting ship and upgrade once they have the credits and crew to handle the extra heat load.
Maneuvering Thrusters and RCS
Maneuvering thrusters are the small, fast-reacting thrusters scattered across your hull. They handle rotation, fine translation, and emergency attitude adjustments. Without enough RCS points, your ship will drift lazily and struggle to dock at K-Leg without scraping the clamps.
| Engine Type | Power Draw | Thrust Output | Ideal Mount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Civilian Drive | Low | Low | Starter courier and scout hulls |
| Industrial Main Engine | High | High | Salvage tugs and freighters |
| High-Efficiency Ion Drive | Medium | Medium | Long-haul exploration runs |
| Maneuvering RCS Cluster | Low | Low (rotation) | Any hull, mount in sets of 4+ |
| Emergency Boost Thruster | Very High | Very High | Combat ships only, short burns |
Power Generation, Life Support, and Utility Systems
Power and life support are the unglamorous heart of your Ostranauts ship components list. Without a reactor producing enough juice, your engines, lights, sensors, and oxygen systems all brown out. Without life support, your crew suffocates the moment a hull breach vents atmosphere.
Reactors, Batteries, and Power Distributors
Reactors convert fuel into electrical power. Batteries buffer that power for surges. Power distributors route electricity to specific rooms, so a damaged distributor can isolate sections of your ship and disable equipment inside them. According to community testing, players who run a single oversized reactor on a starter ship often regret it once a fire knocks the reactor offline.
Life Support, Cooling, and Atmosphere
Oxygen generators, CO2 scrubbers, and air recyclers keep your crew breathing. Coolant pumps and radiators manage heat so your reactor and engines do not cook themselves. Crew quarters are technically a utility component too, because crew morale and rest efficiency drop without proper bunks and recreation.
| Component | Power Draw | Crew Required | Failure Consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Reactor | None (generates) | 0 | Total blackout if offline |
| Heavy Industrial Reactor | None (generates) | 1 | Overheats without coolant pump |
| Power Battery Bank | Trivial | 0 | Drains fast if reactor offline |
| Oxygen Generator | Medium | 0 | Crew suffocates after a few minutes |
| CO2 Scrubber | Low | 0 | Crew fatigue and sickness |
| Coolant Pump | Low | 0 | Reactor and engine heat runaway |
For step-by-step mounting instructions once you have your parts queued up, the Ostranauts ship construction guide covers the placement rules and grid snap behavior in detail.
Weapons, Sensors, and Defense Equipment
Combat is not the focus of Ostranauts, but it is unavoidable. Pirates, rival salvagers, and desperate crews will test your hull, which is why the Ostranauts ship components list always includes a weapons and sensors section. Most newcomers start with nothing mounted and learn the hard way when their first haul gets interdicted.
Weapon Hardpoints and Ammunition
Weapons mount to specific hardpoint components. Each hardpoint has a class, and each class accepts certain weapon types. Missiles, plasma repeaters, and kinetic cannons each have different range, damage, ammo draw, and power cost. Without enough ammunition storage, even a fully armed ship runs dry mid-fight.
Sensors, Targeting, and Countermeasures
Sensors detect contacts, targeting computers improve hit probability, and countermeasures deflect incoming missiles. A ship without a sensor package is effectively blind beyond visual range, which makes it useless for spotting salvage wrecks at long distance.
| Component | Power Draw | Crew Required | Tactical Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Missile Hardpoint | Low | 0 | Cheap deterrent, short range |
| Heavy Cannon Hardpoint | High | 1 | Anti-hull alpha strike |
| Sensor Array (Long Range) | Medium | 0 | Spotting salvage and threats |
| Targeting Computer | Low | 0 | Improves weapon accuracy |
| Countermeasure Launcher | Low | 0 | Deflects incoming missiles |
Tips for Choosing the Right Ship Components
A solid Ostranauts ship components list matters most when you actually buy and mount parts in the right order. Here is the practical workflow most experienced players follow:
- Start with hull and bulkheads first. Lay down the rooms, doors, and airtight seals before worrying about gear. A well-planned room layout makes every later upgrade easier.
- Mount power second. Every other component depends on electricity. A small reactor plus a battery bank covers your initial thruster and sensor draw while leaving headroom for future expansion.
- Add life support third. Oxygen and CO2 scrubbers are non-negotiable the moment you undock from K-Leg with a crew aboard.
- Install engines and thrusters fourth. With the structural and electrical backbone in place, engines turn your hull into a ship. Always mount RCS clusters in symmetric sets to avoid torque imbalance.
- Slot sensors and weapons last. These are the components you upgrade or swap most often as your playstyle evolves, so leave accessible hardpoints rather than welding them behind structural walls.
- Check mass and power budgets constantly. The fastest way to brick a build is to overcommit on weapons or armor without a reactor and thruster pairing that can move the resulting mass. The grid layout from the Ship Building wiki makes mass and power math easy to track visually.
- Salvage to learn part IDs. Until you memorize the catalog, picking apart wrecks with a Ostranauts build a ship mindset is the cheapest way to learn which components are rare, which are common, and which are pure junk.
What is the one component category you always wish you had mounted sooner? Drop your answer in the comments below, and if this guide helped, share it with your crew so they stop flying underpowered hulls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find a full Ostranauts ship components list in-game?
There is no single in-game catalog, which is why most players rely on community references like the Ship Building wiki. It tracks every component category and mounting rule added by Blue Bottle Games across patches.
What is the most important component to upgrade first?
Power and life support beat everything else. A ship with a better reactor, a battery bank, and a working oxygen generator will outperform a heavily armed ship that browns out the moment it draws a weapon. Mount those before chasing damage upgrades.
Do ship components degrade over time?
Yes. Engines, reactors, life support, and weapons all accumulate wear, and worn parts lose efficiency or fail outright. According to community testing, regular inspection trips at K-Leg prevent most mid-flight failures, especially on long-haul runs.
Can I mix components from different ship classes?
Absolutely, as long as the part physically fits the hardpoint or slot on your hull. Many experienced captains salvage a heavy engine off a wreck and bolt it onto a smaller salvage skiff to gain thrust at the cost of mass and power draw.
How do I know if a component is rare or common?
Salvage wrecks are the best teacher. After a few dozen recoveries you will recognize the common starters, the mid-tier industrial parts, and the rare military-grade weapons and sensors that define a properly kitted-out combat ship.