Approximately Up All Planets & Locations
Earth to Tenebra — gravity, atmosphere, and the routes that connect every world.
Approximately Up ships with 17 unique planets on the August 6, 2026 retail build. Each world has a distinct gravity, atmosphere, look, and set of Planet Stations you can unlock permanently by landing on them. Players hit dead ends searching for a tiny reddish dot they cannot see in the sky, or wondering why a Moon → Outcast transfer takes an entire evening. This guide is the quick-reference index for every confirmed planet, the recommended thruster mix, and the route hints community testers shared after launch. Pair it with Planets Map for gravity tables and Missions Walkthrough for what unlocks where.
How the planet map works
You do not warp between worlds. You fly between them with ships you built at stations. Each planet typically offers one or more Planet Stations — landing pads with build zones and mission boards. First landing unlocks a station permanently, turning it into a new launch point for future routes. The objective log (O) points to missions that encourage visiting new nodes. Over time your network becomes a spiderweb of garages instead of a linear level select.
A handful of planets sit far enough apart that the trip alone eats an entire session if you bring the wrong ship. Plan fuel budgets, RCS reserves, and brake systems before committing.
Earth — your tutorial world
Earth is where every Approximately Up pilot learns the loop. Familiar gravity, dense atmosphere, and forgiving terrain for first crashes. Atmospheric thrusters operate at full efficiency here — they are the S-tier workhorse for liftoff. Electric thrusters are not the launch pick on Earth unless you are experimenting.
Earth stations teach frame construction, cable routing, atmospheric climb, and basic RCS orientation. The first delivery missions unlock electric thrusters and advanced logic parts. Earth is also where most players park their main blueprint library with [B] for swap-and-go design across the system.
Recommended instruments: velocity meter, altimeter, and radar before any long trip. Run Thrust calculator with Earth gravity before hauling mission cargo.
Moon — low gravity, thin atmosphere
Earth’s Moon is the first headline destination. Unlike Space Engineers lore, Approximately Up’s Moon includes a thin atmosphere at low altitude — atmospheric thrusters matter for terminal descent. Vacuum electric thrusters handle the coast and high approach. The Moon pushes vacuum propulsion and RCS-heavy landings.
Community strategy mounts two electric thrusters vertically on center of mass, uses RCS tilt to point, and pulses vertical thrust to translate. Pack spare RCS blocks or wired maneuvering thrusters for multi-minute approaches. Read the full Moon Landing Guide for the canonical pattern.
Aundara — the Moon’s red neighbour
Aundara sits relatively close to the Moon (community reports put it roughly 95 million meters from the Moon after patch 1.0.005 moved it closer). Gravity is light — community testing suggests around 0.3 g at the surface and near zero in deep space around it. The planet has its own atmosphere thin enough that atmospheric thrusters still bite for landing.
How to reach Aundara from the Moon:
- Build a vacuum-rated hull with electric thrusters, RCS, and a brake system. A slow ship can take up to 2 hours; the brake system cuts it to roughly 30 minutes.
- Accelerate toward the small reddish dot visible from Moonstep; radar will mark it once you commit.
- Watch for the blinking objective base near the planet as you approach — that is the landing beacon.
- Cut main thrust around 2,000 m altitude before atmospheric effects kick in.
- Switch to atmospheric thrusters for low-altitude descent.
If the planet never appears to grow, you may be aimed at the wrong reddish body — confirm the bearing against your radar and rotate slowly until both angle numbers stop changing in the same direction.
Basalt — Solar Storm trade-off
Basalt is a post-Moon destination on many crew routes. Patch 1.0.008 reduced Solar Storm strength on the Moon → Basalt transfer so the trip is about 99% safe (a tiny burn chance remains). That matters for the Solar Storm achievement and route notes. Keep critical radar, RCS, and life-support on independent branches if you chase storm encounters.
Baobara — the water planet
Baobara is the ocean planet that finishes the demo’s submarine arc. It has a full liquid ocean, deep trenches (including the Green Trench run for the related achievement), and at least one major station for the Drop The Depth Diver and Trial By Thrust objectives that patch 1.0.007 clarified.
To progress past Baobara you need a space scanner block — once all Baobara-specific missions are complete, the next world unlocks by scanning the next planet in the system. Build the scanner, fit radar and dedicated power, and head outward.
If the scanner ping does not show a new planet immediately, climb to high altitude and look for the smallest body along the route — community testers confirm the next-destination indicator is subtle but persistent.
Outcast — distant red dwarf waypoint
Outcast is the red-dwarf system body tied to the See You Next Week achievement (survive a transfer between Aundara and Outcast in either direction). It is a long way from the inner system; patch 1.0.005 shortened the Aundara leg, but the Outcast leg still punishes weak RCS and skimpy batteries.
Bring:
- Spare RCS thrusters (long legs eat pitch jets)
- An additional Autohemisphere solar panel
- Spare battery bay
- Radar upgrade for the small-body approach
Gravity at Outcast is modest; atmospheric density is light. Treat it as a small-body vacuum lander with a thin atmospheric assist for the last kilometre.
Tenebra — the farthest known planet
Tenebra is the world tied to the Edge Of The Known achievement. Community consensus places it well beyond the Outcast system, deep enough that even high-thrust vacuum cruises eat most of a session. Approach planning is similar to Almost Crispy — bring a heat-resistant frame, redundant cooling/power, and an abort burn capability.
You will probably unlock Tenebra after most other planets and the Saving The Twins story beat. The achievement is a milestone marker, not a route requirement.
Oldara — Fred’s Star finale world
Oldara is the troubled water world from the Fred’s Star finale — added to the demo on June 6, 2026 and now part of the retail campaign. Mission flow uses scanner/tower objectives rather than simple pad delivery. Read Fred’s Star finale before flying there; bring Radar and co-op roles if possible.
Black Hole Tunnel network
Beyond Tenebra sits a black hole with associated Black Hole Tunnels that activate story-line beats and Event Horizon / Way Forward achievements. Heat breaks ships on direct Sun lines around 330,000,000 m, so offset your trajectory by roughly 21° if you fly toward the star system. Treat these as advanced sandbox goals — they are not required for the core campaign.
Star proximity achievements
The Almost Crispy and Small But Spicy achievements require surviving close approaches to the Sun (1,000,000 m) and the Red Dwarf (100,000 m). These are post-campaign challenges for experienced pilots — heat-resistant frames, redundant cooling/power, and an abort burn capability matter more than raw top speed.
Recommended visiting order
- Earth — tutorial, first missions, blueprint library
- Moon — ice cream delivery, RCS discipline
- Aundara — first interplanetary cruise
- Basalt — Solar Storm practice
- Baobara — submarine build, trench runs
- Oldara — Fred’s Star finale
- Outcast — long-range vacuum work
- Tenebra — farthest known planet
- Black Hole / Sun / Red Dwarf — endgame exploration
Co-op planet runs
Four-player crews unlock planets faster because one player can stay in garage mode while others scout the next system. Read the Co-op guide for Builder / Pilot / Engineer / Navigator splits and which role owns the brake system, the radar monitor, and the power budget.
Related pages
- Planets Map — gravity and atmosphere tables
- Missions Walkthrough — what unlocks where
- Moon Landing Guide — first interplanetary transfer
- Solar Panels — free cruise power for long routes
- Submarine Build — Baobara and Green Trench
- Fred’s Star finale — Oldara finale context
- Radar and Navigation — finding small bodies in deep space
- Thrust Calculator — TWR per world
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
How many planets are in Approximately Up?
The full retail build ships with 17 unique planets, including Earth, Moon, Aundara, Basalt, Baobara, Oldara, Outcast, and Tenebra, plus the Sun, the Red Dwarf, and the Black Hole Tunnel network.
How do I find Aundara from the Moon?
Aim for the small reddish dot near the Moon, fit a brake system to cut the trip to about 30 minutes, watch for the blinking objective beacon near the planet, and cut main thrust around 2,000 m altitude before using atmospheric thrusters.
What is the water planet called?
Baobara — the ocean world that finishes the submarine arc, hosts the Green Trench run, and unlocks the next planet via a space scanner once all Baobara missions are complete.
Which planet is the farthest?
Tenebra is the farthest known planet and ties into the Edge Of The Known achievement. Most pilots unlock it well into the storyline after Saving The Twins.
Does the Moon have an atmosphere?
Yes. The Moon has a thin atmosphere at low altitude, so atmospheric thrusters still matter for the final descent even though electric thrusters handle most of the coast.
Can I see Aundara from the Moon with the naked eye?
Yes, look for the small reddish dot. If it never appears to grow when you fly toward it, you may be aimed at the wrong body — rotate slowly until both bearing angles stop drifting the same way.