Approximately Up Thruster Tier List

Propulsion defines every Approximately Up run. Primary thrusters move mass; RCS rotates your craft so landing gear points the right way. This tier list ranks atmospheric thrusters, electric thrusters, and RCS blocks across early Earth missions, mid-game Moon hops, and longer interplanetary legs planned for the full release. Rankings assume you wire power and data correctly — a S-tier thruster mounted backward still earns an F in practice.

Tier scale

• S — Default pick once unlocked; solves the role reliably.
• A — Excellent with setup caveats (power draw, count limits).
• B — Fine until missions grant better parts.
• C — Niche or teaching-only.
• D — Meme builds or hard lessons.

Atmospheric thrusters

Atmospheric thrusters scale with air density. They are the workhorse for Earth takeoff, low-altitude maneuvering, and any planet with a thick envelope. They do not function in vacuum, which catches first-time builders who reuse an Earth design for a Moon transfer.

Tier	Notes
S	Standard atmospheric clusters on Earth and dense-atmosphere worlds; best thrust-per-watt when air is present.
A	Smaller atmospheric units for fine control on approach — pair with dampers for landing.
B	Early tutorial thrusters you replace after the first delivery missions.
C	Single thruster on an overweight frame — lifts, but barely; fix TWR before leaving the pad.
D	Atmospheric-only ships attempting vacuum transfers without electric backup.

Early game: Stack enough atmospheric thrust to clear towers and reach cruise altitude on Earth. Use the Thrust calculator so liftoff TWR exceeds 1.0 with cargo.

Mid game: Keep atmospheric sets at Planet Stations on habitable worlds for local hops. Strip or disable them on vacuum legs to save mass if your route allows orbital insertion with electric only.

Late game: Atmospheric thrusters remain S-tier on atmospheres but drop off lists for pure space tugs. Hybrid ships carrying both atmospheric and electric sets are A-tier flexibility — heavier, yet one hull serves multiple stations per Planets map.

Electric thrusters

Electric thrusters operate in space and unlock after early missions (commonly around your second major objective in demo progression). Demo inventories often include limited counts, so placement matters more than spamming blocks.

Tier	Notes
S	Vertical electric pair on center of mass for lunar lander-style Moon touchdowns — community-proven in demo guides.
A	Forward electric cruise on light probes for station-to-station hops in low gravity.
B	Single electric on a heavy hauler — works, but trip time punishes weak designs.
C	Electric-only Earth launch attempts before atmosphere clears — possible with patience, not recommended.
D	Zero electric on a vacuum-only route.

Early game: You may not have electric yet — plan Earth missions first.

Mid game: Mount two electric thrusters vertically on your center of mass, use RCS to tilt, and pulse vertical thrust to translate — mimics Apollo-style landings on the Moon.

Late game: As missions grant more electric units and mixed-fuel options teased for full release, expect S-tier status for dedicated space tugs on high-gravity moons and outer planets. Until then, treat each electric block as premium real estate.

RCS thrusters

RCS provides pitch, yaw, and roll without wiring every thruster to a joystick port. Standard RCS blocks connect wirelessly to an RCS controller powered and linked to a 3D joystick (one port per axis). Each thruster has a knob assigning it to Pitch A/B, Yaw A/B, or Roll A/B — the game does not auto-detect ship orientation.

Tier	Notes
S	Six RCS thrusters (two per axis) + one RCS controller + 3D joystick — minimum stable attitude control.
A	Small maneuvering thrusters manually wired via data routers and joystick splitters — more flexible, more work.
B	Fewer than six RCS units — flyable for short hops, struggles on long rolls.
C	RCS with mis-set knobs (red on controller at spawn) — fix before launch.
D	No RCS on a tall lander relying on main thrusters alone for rotation.

Battery life: RCS thrusters carry limited internal propellant. Indicator lights on the controller run green → yellow → red → dead. Heavy roll corrections burn the same axis faster — common on long Moon approaches. Carry spare RCS or use wired maneuvering thrusters for extended trips.

Alternative setup: Small maneuvering thrusters behave like main thrusters but can be routed through joystick splitters and logic for custom RCS — A-tier for advanced builders, B-tier for co-op crews who want repairable rotation without disposable RCS cans.

Fuel and mixed engines (full release outlook)

Steam feature text mentions fuel engines and mixed fuels alongside electric and solar. Demo players mostly see electric and atmospheric sets. When fuel engines arrive in the full game, expect:

• S or A on long burns where battery-only electric sags.
• Tradeoffs: plumbing, weight, and explosion-adjacent mission humor.

Revisit this page after Demo vs full release launch patches.

Build recommendations by phase

Early (Earth only): Atmospheric S, basic RCS S, electric not unlocked — N/A.

Mid (Moon unlocked): Electric vertical S, atmospheric at Earth station S, six-pack RCS S.

Late (multi-station routes): Hybrid atmospheric/electric hulls A, dedicated vacuum tugs S electric forward + RCS A with spare RCS blocks in cargo.

Related pages

• Sensors and logic tier list — gyro lines and altimeters for landing
• Thrust calculator — TWR before launch
• Getting Started — mission unlock order
• Co-op guide — who wires RCS while the pilot flies

Thrusters are half the battle; the other half is knowing where you fly. Match propulsion type to each leg on the Planets map and rebuild at stations instead of forcing one ship through every world.