Approximately Up Star Proximity Challenges

Approximately Up rewards the boldest pilots with two extreme proximity achievements: Almost Crispy (get within 1,000,000 meters of the Sun and survive) and Small But Spicy (get within 100,000 meters of the Red Dwarf and survive). These are post-campaign challenges that push ship engineering to its thermal and structural limits. Neither star is on the critical path to finishing the main storyline — they are for pilots who want to push their builds past every reasonable boundary.

This guide covers ship preparation, approach vectors, survival tactics, and what to expect when your hull meets extreme radiative environments. Pair this page with Solar Panels for free cruise power (though you will need backup systems near stars) and Thrust Calculator for TWR planning at low orbital altitudes.

Almost Crispy — Sun approach (1,000,000 m)

The Sun in Approximately Up sits at the center of the planetary system. Getting within 1 million meters of it means leaving the orbital lanes used for planet-to-planet transfers and cutting inward toward the star’s radiative output zone. The Almost Crispy achievement requires you to:

1. Travel to the Sun’s approach corridor
2. Survive radiative exposure at 1,000,000 m altitude
3. Return to a safe distance without your ship breaking apart

Community testers report that ships without heat-resistant frames or redundant cooling fail before reaching the 1M mark. The Sun’s heat output is not a visual effect — it actively damages unshielded components.

Ship requirements for Sun approach

Your hull needs:

• Heat-resistant frame blocks — standard frames melt faster near the Sun; look for upgraded frames in the part catalog as you unlock later planets
• Redundant power routing — solar panels near the Sun are both blessing and curse; excess power can fry circuits without fuse boxes
• At least two independent battery banks — one for main thrust, one for life-support and cooling
• RCS thrusters with spare fuel — approach corrections near the Sun are high-stakes; run dry on RCS and you drift into deeper heat
• Manual override on all cooling systems — automated systems can fail under thermal stress; wire manual switches for critical cooling

Approach vector and timing

Do not fly straight at the Sun. Use the orbital planes of inner planets to bleed velocity gradually. Community consensus:

1. Launch from your current station and plot a transfer toward the Sun’s orbital lane
2. Use planetary gravity assists to slow down — arriving at 1M m/s relative velocity costs more brake thrust than arriving at 200,000 m/s
3. Cut main engines when your proximity alert shows 1,200,000 m — thermal warning should trigger just inside 1.1M
4. Drift inward to 1,000,000 m, hold position for your achievement window, then burn outward immediately

The achievement unlocks on the approach, not on departure. Confirm the notification appears before you commit to the return burn.

What kills ships near the Sun

The most common failures reported by community testers:

• Frame melting — standard structural blocks lose integrity above certain thermal thresholds; upgrade to heat-resistant variants
• Power surges — solar input exceeds what fuses can handle; install additional Fuse Boxes on solar branches
• RCS flameout — cold-gas RCS has a vapor pressure limit; thermal stress can cause premature thrust cutoffs
• Seals and joints separating — modular connections expand under heat; check all frame joints before Sun runs

Read Power and Data Routing and verify every power branch has overcurrent protection.

Approximately Up — navigating extreme heat and proximity challenges

Small But Spicy — Red Dwarf approach (100,000 m)

The Red Dwarf is smaller and cooler than the Sun, but its proximity requirement is ten times tighter (100,000 m versus 1,000,000 m). The Small But Spicy achievement is generally considered harder not because of heat — the Red Dwarf’s radiative output is lower — but because the approach corridor is narrow and the margin for error is razor-thin.

Red Dwarf characteristics

Parameter	Sun	Red Dwarf
Achievement distance	1,000,000 m	100,000 m
Radiative intensity	Extreme	Moderate
Gravity well	Strong	Weak
Visual marker	Bright yellow-white	Dim red-orange
Approach risk	Thermal runaway	Collision / drift

The Red Dwarf’s low gravity means you cannot use gravity assists to slow down — you must burn against your own velocity. Pack extra RCS fuel and consider a two-burn approach: one to slow into the approach corridor, one to hold position at 100K.

Ship prep for Red Dwarf

The Red Dwarf punishes ships built for planet hops:

• Minimal frame mass — less material means less thermal expansion and faster cooling after the run
• High-TWR electric thrusters — you need strong deceleration without atmospheric assistance
• Dedicated radar unit — the Red Dwarf is visually dim; you may need active radar pings to locate it in the approach
• Brake system with manual override — if automated braking fails at 100K from the Red Dwarf, you drift into the star
• Separate cooling bus for avionics — keep flight computers on their own thermal circuit away from drive heat

See Radar and Navigation for finding small bodies in deep space.

Approach vector for Red Dwarf

1. Plot a transfer from your current station toward the Red Dwarf’s orbital lane
2. Use Aundara or Outcast as a staging point if you have unlocked them — shorter burns from the outer planets
3. Decelerate aggressively starting at 500,000 m — do not let your approach velocity exceed 500 m/s inside 200,000 m
4. Hold at 100,000 m for the achievement notification
5. Burn outward immediately — do not attempt to orbit or loiter

Combined approach: Sun and Red Dwarf in one run

Advanced pilots attempt both achievements in a single session by plotting a figure-eight or bi-elliptic transfer. This is not required for the achievements — each unlocks independently — but it saves time if you are building a record-setting hull.

Requirements for combined runs:

• Hull optimized for both thermal extremes (frame upgrades from late-game part unlocks)
• Fuel budget for two deceleration burns and two departure burns
• Co-op crew: one pilot flies, one monitors thermal gauges, one manages power routing

Read Co-op Guide for role splits on long endurance missions.

Frame upgrades and late-game parts

Both star-proximity achievements benefit from parts unlocked in the late campaign. As you clear objectives on Tenebra, Outcast, and the Black Hole Tunnel network, the part catalog expands with:

• Heat-resistant frames — required for Sun runs, useful for Red Dwarf
• High-temperature seals — prevents joint separation under thermal stress
• Radiation-hardened electronics — keeps avionics online under solar flare conditions
• Advanced solar arrays — higher efficiency means more power from the same area; useful for the Sun approach where radiative input is highest

Check the Tier List for rankings of heat-resistant parts as you unlock them.

Related guides and achievements

• Solar Panels — free cruise power that becomes a liability near stars
• Thrust Calculator — plan TWR for high-temperature approach burns
• Radar and Navigation — finding small bodies in deep space
• Co-op Guide — multi-crew roles for endurance runs
• Achievements — full list of 22 Steam achievements including Almost Crispy and Small But Spicy
• All Planets — Sun and Red Dwarf orbital context

Star proximity challenges are the ceiling of Approximately Up’s engineering tree. Build for survival first, speed second, and always plan your return burn before you commit to the approach.