Research

Rocket engine

+5% speed and +10% acceleration per level for all ships with rocket engines – from transports and fighters to probes.

Which ships benefit?

Each level makes these ships 5% faster and gives them 10% more acceleration: Small transport ship, Large transport ship, Small fighter, Warship, Colony ship, Spy probe, Jammer probe, EMP-Bomb and Scanner ship. How speed and acceleration together determine the flight time is explained under Flight model.

Required for many ships

The Rocket engine unlocks your first ships: Small fighter from level 1, Spy probe and Jammer probe from level 3, Small transport ship and Warship from level 4, Large transport ship and EMP-Bomb from level 6, and Colony ship from level 8.

Since your first fleets consist almost entirely of rocket-powered ships, the Rocket engine is the most important engine research early on. Later it pays off mainly for transport fleets, fast fighter attacks and probes.

Background

The rocket engine is the first engine possible to be built. It is used as an engine in smaller ships and transports. Through research, a higher compression of gas-air mixture can be achieved, thus every level of research increases the speed of the rocket engine by 5% and the acceleration by 10%. Small ships are able to reach impressive speed but the rocket engine is not suitable to accelerate larger vessels within an appropriate time frame.

Levels at a glance

Research labUniverse

Level	Metal	Kryptonite	Spice	Research time
1	400	350	100	1 min 48 s
2	800	700	200	3 min 37 s
3	1,600	1,400	400	7 min 13 s
4	3,200	2,800	800	14 min 27 s
5	6,400	5,600	1,600	28 min 53 s
6	12,800	11,200	3,200	57 min 47 s
7	25,600	22,400	6,400	1 h 55 min
8	51,200	44,800	12,800	3 h 51 min
9	102,400	89,600	25,600	7 h 42 min
10	204,800	179,200	51,200	15 h 24 min
11	409,600	358,400	102,400	1 d 6 h 48 min
12	819,200	716,800	204,800	2 d 13 h 37 min
13	1,638,400	1,433,600	409,600	5 d 3 h 15 min
14	3,276,800	2,867,200	819,200	10 d 6 h
15	6,553,600	5,734,400	1,638,400	20 d 13 h
16	13,107,200	11,468,800	3,276,800	35 d 23 h
17	26,214,400	22,937,600	6,553,600	35 d 23 h
18	52,428,800	45,875,200	13,107,200	35 d 23 h
19	104,857,600	91,750,400	26,214,400	35 d 23 h
20	209,715,200	183,500,800	52,428,800	35 d 23 h
21	419,430,400	367,001,600	104,857,600	35 d 23 h
22	838,860,800	734,003,200	209,715,200	35 d 23 h
23	1.68 B	1.47 B	419,430,400	35 d 23 h
24	3.36 B	2.94 B	838,860,800	35 d 23 h
25	6.71 B	5.87 B	1.68 B	35 d 23 h
26	13.42 B	11.74 B	3.36 B	35 d 23 h
27	26.84 B	23.49 B	6.71 B	35 d 23 h
28	53.69 B	46.98 B	13.42 B	35 d 23 h
29	107.37 B	93.95 B	26.84 B	35 d 23 h
30	214.75 B	187.90 B	53.69 B	35 d 23 h
31	429.50 B	375.81 B	107.37 B	35 d 23 h
32	858.99 B	751.62 B	214.75 B	35 d 23 h
33	1.72 T	1.50 T	429.50 B	35 d 23 h
34	3.44 T	3.01 T	858.99 B	35 d 23 h
35	6.87 T	6.01 T	1.72 T	35 d 23 h
36	13.74 T	12.03 T	3.44 T	35 d 23 h
37	27.49 T	24.05 T	6.87 T	35 d 23 h
38	54.98 T	48.10 T	13.74 T	35 d 23 h
39	109.95 T	96.21 T	27.49 T	35 d 23 h
40	219.90 T	192.41 T	54.98 T	35 d 23 h

Values without speed-up. Set your research lab level above and the research times adjust.

Rocket engine

Which ships benefit?

Required for many ships

Levels at a glance

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