What is Ad Astra?
Ad Astra is a space exploration mod for Fabric, Forge, and NeoForge by AlexNijjar and the Terrarium team. It adds tiered rockets, space suits, oxygen logistics, and a solar system of explorable planets: the Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, and the ice world Glacio.
Each planet is a full dimension with its own gravity, temperature, terrain, ores, and hazards. Progression loops through planet-exclusive materials: fly to a planet, mine its metal, and use it to build the next rocket tier.
Getting Started: Your First Rocket
- Set up steel production. Ad Astra machines and the Tier 1 rocket are steel-heavy.
- Craft the NASA Workbench. This dedicated station assembles rockets from nose cones, engines, fins, and body plating.
- Build a Launch Pad and place your Tier 1 Rocket on it.
- Refine fuel. Pump crude oil into a Fuel Refinery and fill the rocket with fuel buckets.
- Suit up. A full Space Suit plus filled oxygen tanks is mandatory; space and most planets have no breathable atmosphere.
- Launch. Board the rocket, hit the launch key, and pick a destination from the planet screen.
The Tier 1 rocket reaches the Moon, where Desh unlocks Tier 2 (Mars). Martian Ostrum unlocks Tier 3 (Venus and Mercury), and Venusian Calorite unlocks the Tier 4 rocket for Glacio.
Oxygen, Energy, and Base Building
- Oxygen Loader – fills oxygen tanks and suits from water.
- Oxygen Distributor – floods a sealed room with breathable atmosphere, letting you build livable bases on any planet. Room volume drains oxygen and energy, so keep habitats compact.
- Water Pumps, Solar Panels, and Coal Generators – Ad Astra's FE machines run on their own or on power from any tech mod in the pack.
- Cryo Freezer – produces Cryo Fuel from ice for the Tier 4 rocket.
- Planet hazards – Venus burns with acid rain and heat while Glacio freezes unprotected players, and meteor showers strike surfaces on both. Suit tiers (Space Suit, Netherite Space Suit, Jet Suit) raise protection, and the Jet Suit adds powered flight.
Planets host their own encounters, from trading Lunarians on the Moon to hostile mobs such as Martian Raptors, plus dungeon-like structures holding tier-skipping loot.
Ad Astra FAQ
What Minecraft versions does Ad Astra support?
Ad Astra publishes builds for Minecraft 1.18.2 through 1.20.4 on Fabric, Forge, and NeoForge. Newer game versions were not yet covered at the time of writing; check the project page for current files.
What order do the Ad Astra planets unlock?
Tier 1 rockets reach the Moon. Desh from the Moon builds Tier 2 for Mars, Ostrum from Mars builds Tier 3 for Venus and Mercury, and Calorite from Venus builds Tier 4 for Glacio.
How does oxygen work in Ad Astra?
Suits carry oxygen in tanks filled by an Oxygen Loader. For bases, an Oxygen Distributor seals and oxygenates an enclosed room, consuming water and energy relative to room size.