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🚀 Factorio Space Age Expansion Guide

Version: 2.0 Space Age | Last updated: July 2026

The Space Age expansion transforms Factorio from a single-planet factory game into a multi-planet logistics empire. Four new worlds — each with unique resources, mechanics, and challenges — must be colonized, automated, and connected by interplanetary transport.

This guide covers everything you need: what to bring, what to build, and what traps to avoid on every planet.

📋 Overview — The Four Planets

Planet Theme Science Difficulty Key Mechanic
🌋 Vulcanus Lava & foundries Metallurgic Science Medium Lava casting, big drills, artillery
⚡ Fulgora Lightning & ruins Electromagnetic Science Medium Scrap recycling, lightning harvesting
🧫 Gleba Fungal swamps Agricultural Science Hard Bio-processing, spoilage, pentapods
❄️ Aquilo Frozen ocean Cryogenic Science Very Hard Freezing mechanics, heating, ice platforms
🛰️ Orbit Space platform Space Science Variable Zero-gravity platform construction

🌋 Vulcanus — The Forge World

Vulcanus is a volcanic planet with seas of molten lava, calcite deposits, and aggressive demolishers — giant worm-like enemies that guard resource-rich territories.

Unlock Requirements

Requirement Detail
Tech researched Rocket Silo + Rocket Launch
Minimum cargo 1 rocket of construction supplies (bots, solar panels, accumulators, assemblers)
Recommended Personal laser defense, nuclear reactors, cliff explosives

Core Resources & New Materials

Resource Found On Used For
Calcite Lava shoreline deposits Steel smelting (direct iron → steel), sulfuric acid production
Lava Pumpable from lava seas Molten iron/copper casting (infinite, no mining needed)
Tungsten Ore Mineable deposits Tungsten carbide, tungsten plates
Carbon Fiber Assembled Spidertron equipment, rocket parts

New materials unlocked:

Material Recipe Purpose
Tungsten Plate Tungsten ore → smelting Stronger belts, mech armor
Tungsten Carbide Tungsten + Carbon Mining drill upgrades, foundry
Metallurgic Science Pack Tungsten plate + Carbon fiber + Steel Core space science progression 
Essential items for first landing:

☐ 50+ Construction robots + 10 roboports
☐ 100+ Solar panels + accumulators
☐ Assemblers (AM2, AM3), chemical plants
☐ 4+ Rocket silos on Nauvis (for resupply)
☐ Personal defense: Shield MK2 + laser defense
☐ Cliff explosives (Vulcanus terrain is rugged)
☐ Nuclear reactor + heat exchangers (or solar)
☐ Belts, undergrounds, splitters (red/blue)

Unique Buildings

🏭 Foundry

The Foundry replaces furnaces on Vulcanus. It accepts molten metals directly from lava and produces plates, gears, pipes, and beams in a single building.

Feature Detail
Input Molten iron/copper (from lava) or standard ore
Output Plates, gears, pipes, steel, copper wire
Bonuses +50% productivity over standard furnaces
Module slots 4 (vs 2 on electric furnace)

💡 Key trick: The Foundry can cast molten iron directly into steel with calcite — no need for the steel furnace step. This is the primary reason to visit Vulcanus.

⛏️ Big Mining Drill

A massive 5×5 mining drill that covers a 5×5 chunk area (80×80 tiles). Produces ore from the entire area with no resource drain — it effectively mines all nodes in its coverage zone simultaneously.

Feature Detail
Size 5×5 tiles
Coverage 5×5 chunk area (configurable)
Mining speed 2.5× standard drill
Resource drain None — mines all patches in area

💡 Key trick: Place Big Drills overlapping multiple ore patches for massive throughput. On Nauvis, a single Big Drill can cover 3-5 iron patches.

Tech Tree Highlights

Tech Unlocks Priority
Metallurgic Science Foundry, lava pumping ⭐⭐⭐ First priority
Tungsten Alloy Big mining drills ⭐⭐⭐ Essential
Foundry Advanced casting recipes ⭐⭐⭐ Game-changer
Artillery Range Artillery shell, remote targeting ⭐⭐ For expansion
Artillery Shell Range Longer-range artillery ⭐
Planet Discovery: Vulcanus Actually getting there ⭐⭐⭐

Strategy & Tips

  1. Kill your first demolisher with poison capsules + personal lasers. They don't regenerate quickly.
  2. Calcite is finite on shoreline deposits but infinite from space platform (crush asteroids). Ship calcite down from orbit for Nauvis steel.
  3. Set up lava pumping immediately — it's infinite ore that never depletes.
  4. Foundry + calcite produces steel at 2× speed with 50% productivity. Ship this recipe back to Nauvis.
  5. Artillery is unlocked on Vulcanus. Use it to clear demolishers from range and claim territory.

Common Traps

Trap Why It's Bad Fix
Underestimating demolishers They 1-shot you early on Bring poison capsules + shields
Not shipping calcite back Missing infinite steel recipe Set up interplanetary calcite delivery
Building on lava shores Cliff terrain blocks expansion Bring cliff explosives
Ignoring artillery Can't clear big demolishers Rush artillery after landing

⚡ Fulgora — The Lightning World

Fulgora is a ruined world covered in scrap metal deposits and constant lightning storms. There is no stone, no coal, and no uranium — but the scrap contains everything you need.

Unlock Requirements

Requirement Detail
Tech researched Rocket Silo + Rocket Launch
Minimum cargo 1 rocket of solar panels (critical — no coal for power), accumulators, construction bots
Recommended Lightning rod blueprints, recycler setup, accumulator array

Core Resources & New Materials

Fulgora has no mining drills. Instead, you collect scrap from the ruins and recycle it:

Scrap → Recycling Output % Chance Used For
Iron ore ~25% Smelting
Copper ore ~20% Smelting
Stone ~5% Brick, concrete
Concrete ~20% Construction
Batteries ~10% Accumulators, science
Holmium Ore ~8% Electromagnetic science
Ice ~5% Water (via heating)
Steel plate ~4% Various
Solid fuel ~2% Backup power

New materials unlocked:

Material Recipe Purpose
Holmium Plate Holmium ore → processing → plate Superconductors, EM science
Superconductor Holmium + copper wire Electromagnetic science pack, advanced modules
Electromagnetic Science Pack Superconductor + battery + processing unit Core space science 
Essential items for first landing:

☐ 100+ Solar panels (CRITICAL — no coal for steam)
☐ 200+ Accumulators (for lightning-buffered power)
☐ 50+ Construction robots + roboports
☐ Lightning rods (research before departure)
☐ Accumulator blueprints (pre-built)
☐ Recyclers (must be researched on Fulgora)
☐ Belts for scrap sorting (lots of splitters)

Unique Buildings & Mechanics

⚡ Lightning Collection

Fulgora has constant lightning that damages buildings. But lightning = free power if harvested.

Building Purpose Range
Lightning Rod Attracts lightning, protects 9×9 area 9×9 tiles
Lightning Collector Harvests lightning into accumulators Stores up to 500 MJ

Design rule: Place a Lightning Collector every 3×3 grid of buildings. Chain collectors to accumulator banks.

🏚️ Recycler

Scrap must be processed through the Recycler — a 3×3 building that outputs random components at 25% of original value (infinite resource efficiency).

Feature Detail
Input Scrap (from ruins)
Output Random assortment of base resources
Module slots 4 (productivity modules increase scrap output)
Power 1.8 MW

🔋 Charging Tower

Wireless power transmission for vehicles. Any vehicle within range (40 tiles) recharges its internal battery. Essential for Fulgora's sprawling scrap fields.

Tech Tree Highlights

Tech Unlocks Priority
Electromagnetic Science Recycling, superconductors ⭐⭐⭐ First priority
Lightning Collection Lightning rod, collector ⭐⭐⭐ Safety first
Recycler Scrap processing ⭐⭐⭐ Essential
Accumulator MK2 Better energy storage ⭐⭐
Charging Tower Vehicle charging ⭐

Strategy & Tips

  1. Scrap sorting is the core challenge. You get random outputs — build a sorting system that filters each resource type to dedicated storage/belts.
  2. Use circuit-controlled splitters to manage overflow. Overabundant items (stone, concrete, iron) should be recycled again or voided.
  3. Holmium is the bottleneck. It drops at only ~8% per scrap. Mine lots of scrap fields.
  4. Build lightning collector farms early — they provide nearly infinite free power once storms hit.
  5. Recycle excess batteries into more scrap processing. Batteries are common and not needed in huge quantities.

Common Traps

Trap Why It's Bad Fix
Not building lightning rods first Everything gets destroyed Rod everything before placing machines
Sorting scrap manually Impossible to manage Build a circuit-controlled sorting bus
Running out of holmium Stalls EM science production Expand scrap mining aggressively
No backup power Dust storms reduce solar Build accumulator banks charged by lightning
Forgetting charging towers Vehicles stranded in scrap fields Place towers at 40-tile intervals

🧫 Gleba — The Fungal World

Gleba is a hostile swamp planet where everything spoils. Production must be continuous — you cannot buffer items. Aggressive pentapod enemies replace biters.

Unlock Requirements

Requirement Detail
Tech researched Rocket Silo + Rocket Launch
Minimum cargo 2+ rockets (Gleba has nothing initially — bring everything)
Recommended Tesla turrets, rocket turrets, flamethrowers, heating towers, biochamber blueprints

Core Resources & New Materials

Gleba has no traditional ore. Instead, you farm bio-flora:

Resource Source Used For
Yumako Yumako tree (fruit) Mash → Nutrients, bioflux
Jellynut Jellynut tree (fruit) Jelly → Nutrients, bioflux
Bioflux Mash + Jelly → Biochamber Agricultural science, alien research
Nutrients Mash or Jelly Biochamber fuel
Spores Decaying flora Pentapod attraction

The Spoilage System:

Every Gleba product has a spoilage timer. When it expires, the item turns into spoilage — a waste product that can be composted into nutrients or disposed of.

Item Spoilage Time Turns Into
Yumako Fruit 10 minutes Spoilage
Jellynut 10 minutes Spoilage
Mash 5 minutes Spoilage
Jelly 5 minutes Spoilage
Bioflux 30 minutes Spoilage
Nutrients 5 minutes Spoilage
Agricultural Science Pack 60 minutes Spoilage

New materials unlocked:

Material Recipe Purpose
Bioflux Mash + Jelly (Biochamber) Science, biter genetics research
Nutrients Mash or Jelly Biochamber fueling
Agricultural Science Pack Bioflux + Nutrients + Egg (Biochamber) Core space science 
Essential items for first landing:

☐ ALL construction materials (no ore on Gleba!)
☐ Solar panels + accumulators + nuclear reactor
☐ Tesla turrets + rocket turrets + ammo (pentapods)
☐ Assemblers, chemical plants (biochamber is fragile)
☐ Heat pipes + heat exchangers (for energy from burning)
☐ Heating towers (burn spoilage for power)
☐ Circuit network components (for spoilage timing)
☐ Belt + inserter blueprints for loop-based production
☐ Personal: Power armor MK2, shields, exoskeleton

Unique Buildings

🧪 Biochamber

A 4×4 building that replaces the assembling machine for all biological recipes. It consumes nutrients as fuel to operate.

Feature Detail
Fuel Nutrients (5 sec per operation)
Productivity +50% base over assemblers
Module slots 3
Speed 1.25 (base)
Crafting categories Bio-processing, basic crafting

💡 Key trick: Biochambers need constant nutrients. A single Biochamber making nutrients can fuel ~10 other Biochambers. Plan nutrient production as a dedicated sub-factory.

🔥 Heating Tower

Burns spoilage, wood, and biofuel for heat — connect to heat exchangers for power. Essential for Gleba's power grid.

Feature Detail
Heat output 4 MW
Fuel Spoilage, wood, solid fuel
Max temperature 1000°C
Bonus 250% efficiency when burning spoilage

💡 Key trick: Your base will generate spoilage. Burn it in Heating Towers for power. This creates a self-sustaining loop: farm → process → spoilage → burn → power → farm.

Tech Tree Highlights

Tech Unlocks Priority
Agricultural Science Biochamber, farming ⭐⭐⭐ First
Bioflux Processing Bioflux → science ⭐⭐⭐
Spidertron MK2 All-terrain vehicle ⭐⭐
Overgrowth Soil Convert land to fertile soil ⭐
Biolab Advanced bio-processing ⭐⭐

Strategy & Tips

  1. Build in loops. Because everything spoils, a line that backs up means everything in it rots. Use circuits to monitor freshness and priority-split old items to spoilage disposal.
  2. Nutrients must be fresh. A nutrient that's 50% spoiled only gives half its fuel value. Refresh nutrient production constantly.
  3. Burn spoilage — don't let it pile up. Heating Towers turn waste into free power.
  4. Pentapods attack based on spore production. More production = more spores = more attacks. Defend heavily.
  5. Ship bioflux back to Nauvis. It's used for biter egg production and advanced module research. Set up interplanetary bioflux export.

Common Traps

Trap Why It's Bad Fix
Building a linear production line Spoils when backed up Build loop-based production with priority splitters
Not enough pentapod defense Constant attacks destroy base Tesla turrets + walls as soon as you land
Ignoring nutrient freshness Machines stall with old fuel Build a nutrient freshness circuit monitor
Stockpiling science packs They spoil before you use them Ship science immediately, don't stockpile
No spoilage disposal Machines jammed with spoilage Heating Tower + circuit-controlled belt loops

❄️ Aquilo — The Ice World

Aquilo is a frozen ocean with no land. Everything must be built on ice platforms. The extreme cold means machines stop working without heating — you need heat pipes everywhere.

Unlock Requirements

Requirement Detail
Tech researched All 3 inner planet science packs (Metallurgic + Electromagnetic + Agricultural)
Minimum cargo 3+ rockets (Aquilo has nothing — bring everything)
Recommended Nuclear reactor (mandatory), heat pipes, heat exchangers, ice melting setup, fusion reactor tech

Core Resources & New Materials

Aquilo's only natural resource is ammoniacal solution — a liquid that can be extracted from special deposits. Everything else must be imported or made from ice.

Resource Source Used For
Ammoniacal Solution Extractors on deposits Liquid for cryogenic science
Ice Ice platforms (meltable) Water for everything
Lithium Brine Byproduct of ammoniacal processing Advanced batteries, science

New materials unlocked:

Material Recipe Purpose
Lithium Plate Lithium brine → processing Fusion cells
Cryogenic Science Pack Superconductor + Lithium + Processing unit Final space science
Fusion Cell Lithium + fluorine krypton gas Fusion reactor fuel 
Essential items for first landing:

☐ EVERYTHING — no resources except ammoniacal solution
☐ Nuclear reactor + heat exchangers + turbines (CRITICAL)
☐ Heat pipes + heat diffusers (keep machines warm)
☐ Ice platform tiles (the only buildable surface)
☐ Rocket fuel for interplanetary resupply
☐ Superconductors, holmium, processing units
☐ Fusion reactor tech (for endgame power)
☐ Personal: Fusion reactor in armor, shields, legs

Unique Buildings & Mechanics

❄️ Freezing Mechanic

Every building on Aquilo has a minimum temperature requirement. If the building's temperature drops below threshold, it slows down and eventually stops.

Building Class Min Temp How to Heat
Assembler / Furnace -20°C Heat pipe adjacent
Refinery / Chemical Plant -10°C Heat pipe adjacent
Pump / Inserter -30°C Proximity to warm machines
Offshore Pump -50°C Build on heated foundation

💡 Key trick: Run heat pipes under every machine. A single heat pipe line can warm a row of 20+ machines. Every heat source (nuclear reactor, heating tower) generates heat.

🧊 Ice Platform

Aquilo has no ground. Ice platforms are the only buildable surface. Each tile costs ice (melted from the frozen ocean).

Feature Detail
Cost 5 ice per tile
HP 50 (fragile — pentapods can destroy)
Upgrade Reinforced ice platform (10x HP)
Heat transmission Yes — heat pipes on platforms work normally

🛰️ Orbital Platform Trunk

Aquilo is the only planet where you can directly build ship parts using the orbital platform overhead. This is the key mechanic for building your endgame interplanetary ship.

Tech Tree Highlights

Tech Unlocks Priority
Cryogenic Science Fusion reactor, advanced modules ⭐⭐⭐ Top priority
Ice Platform Buildable ice surface ⭐⭐⭐ Essential
Fusion Reactor Endgame power (120 MW per reactor) ⭐⭐⭐ Game-changer
Railgun Interplanetary weapon system ⭐⭐
Orbital Platform Expansion Larger space platforms ⭐⭐
Cryogenic Plant Advanced ice processing ⭐

Strategy & Tips

  1. Bring a nuclear reactor as your first cargo. Without one, you cannot heat anything, and you cannot build anything.
  2. Build heat pipe grids — run a main heat trunk under your base and branch to every machine.
  3. Ice is water. Melt ice for all fluid needs. You never need to pump water on Aquilo.
  4. Fusion reactor is Aquilo's endgame prize. One reactor provides 120 MW with no fuel consumption (fusion cells are cheap). Build it before leaving.
  5. Ship everything from Nauvis. Aquilo has almost no raw materials. You will run a constant interplanetary supply chain.

Common Traps

Trap Why It's Bad Fix
Not enough heat pipes Machines freeze mid-production Run heat pipes everywhere before connecting machines
Forgetting ice platforms No buildable surface Research and build ice platforms first
Running out of power No sun (solar = 10% efficiency) Nuclear → Fusion as fast as possible
Not importing enough Running out of basic materials Set up automated Nauvis→Aquilo rocket supply
Ignoring pentapods They destroy ice platforms Turrets on heated foundations

🚀 Interplanetary Logistics

Space Age adds a full interplanetary logistics layer. Managing cargo between Nauvis and the four planets is a game in itself.

🛰️ Space Platforms

Space platforms are the backbone of interplanetary transport. They orbit Nauvis and can travel between planets.

Feature Detail
Size Start at 3×3, expand with platform tiles
Build Via rocket from Nauvis surface
Power Solar panels only (in space)
Storage Cargo bays (upgradeable)
Defense Turrets against asteroid impacts

Building a platform:

  1. Launch rocket parts to orbit
  2. Build platform scaffolding on the orbital hub
  3. Add solar panels, cargo bays, and turrets
  4. Add engines for interplanetary travel

🚀 Rocket Transport System

Item Purpose
Rocket Silo Launches cargo to orbit
Cargo Rocket Ships items between planets
Orbital Request Automate from Nauvis → planet
Planetary Landing Items land at designated landing pad

Automated supply chain:

Nauvis Silo ← Request (circuit network)
         ↓ Launch
Space Platform ← Sort by destination
         ↓ Interplanetary
Planet Surface ← Landing Pad

Cross-Planet Resource Shipment Priorities

Import From Export To What Why
Vulcanus Nauvis Calcite, Foundry recipes Infinite steel smelting
Vulcanus All planets Tungsten, Big Drills Mining efficiency
Fulgora Nauvis Holmium, Superconductors Advanced modules
Fulgora Aquilo Accumulators Energy storage
Gleba Nauvis Bioflux Productivity modules, biolab
Gleba Aquilo Nutrients Biochamber fuel
Aquilo All planets Fusion cells, Cryogenic science Endgame power

Orbital Defense — Asteroid Management

As your platform travels between planets, it passes through asteroid belts. Asteroids damage your platform and must be destroyed or deflected.

Asteroid Type Threat Defense
Small asteroids Damage tiles Gun turrets
Medium asteroids Damage structures Rocket turrets
Large asteroids Critical damage Railgun (late game)

💡 Key trick: Collect asteroid chunks with collectors and crush them into iron ore, coal, and water. A well-designed platform is self-sustaining — no resupply needed.

📊 Space Age vs Vanilla Comparison

Aspect Vanilla (1.1) Space Age (2.0)
Planets 1 (Nauvis) 5 (Nauvis + 4 + space platforms)
Science packs 7 (red through space) 11 (4 new planetary sciences)
Endgame goal Launch ~100 rockets Infinite research, interplanetary empire
Mining Electric mining drill + Big mining drill (5× coverage)
Smelting Furnaces (stone/steel/electric) + Foundry (lava casting, 50% prod)
Power Nuclear capped at ~4 GW per plant + Fusion reactor (120 MW no fuel)
Armor Power armor MK2 + Mech armor (flight, immunity)
Transport Trains, bots, spidertron + Interplanetary rockets, space platforms
Enemies Biters Biters + Demolishers + Pentapods
Building logic Static factories Dynamic (spoilage, scrap random, heat mechanics)
Research progression Linear Branching per planet
Base complexity Complex Extremely complex (multi-planet)
Typical playthrough 40-80 hours 150-300 hours

🗺️ Suggested Planet Order

Order Planet Why This Order
1️⃣ Vulcanus Foundry + Big Drills massively boost Nauvis production. Calcite enables infinite steel. Easiest planet.
2️⃣ Fulgora Holmium and superconductors unlock advanced modules and logic components. Medium difficulty.
3️⃣ Gleba Agricultural science needs pentapod defense and bio-processing mastery. Hardest of the three inner planets.
4️⃣ Aquilo Requires all three inner planet science packs. Fusion reactor and cryogenic science are endgame.

🎮 Get Factorio Space Age

Factorio on Steam

Space Age DLC required. Base game v2.0+ compatible.

Last updated: July 2026 | Game version: Factorio 2.0 Space Age