Satellites

From HBM's Nuclear Tech Wiki
Radar Survey Scanner Satellite.

Satellites are expensive items in NTM that can be used in several ways. There are multiple different satellites, each one with different function and crafting recipe, and some can be really useful, but don't forget their satellite control interface.

Satellites must be launched using a Soyuz-FG.

Linking

With a Satellite ID Manager, you can give a satellite, the satellite ID-chip and the satellite control interface the same frequency, this lets you use the satellite with the interface item. NOTE: the interface can be linked to only one satellite. Linking it to multiple will result in the newest satellite being connected, and the old one being disconnected from it's frequency, making it useless.

Launching

All satellites must be launched on any rocket, such as the HTR-01. Also, it must be noted that they need a satellite control interface with the same frequency, if an unlinked satellite is launched, it will go full freedom and you will lose it, wasting its expensive resources; so triple-check that you have correctly linked all your control items to the same frequency as the satellite!

The Satellites

Orbital Death Ray

The orbital death ray is a satellite that lets you "summon" death rays with 15 seconds cooldown, those death rays play an animation then initiate a small N² Explosion and shoots out blue/purple energy projectiles for extra destruction, open the linked interface and a map will show near surroundings, left click to death rays the coordinate it shows.

Also, the ray will fall, impact, and stop at the first surface it touches, this means if you are inside a cave and then use this ray, it will not fall to your Y position bypassing all stone blocks, but will instead hit the surface.

You can link a Satellite Radar Relay to a Deathray and insert it into a Radar to call down strikes remotely.

Surface Mapping Satellite

It displays currently loaded chunks, that's it. Open the satellite control interface and it will show you a basic map of them.

Satellite with Depth-Resource Scanning Module

View of Satellite Survey Scanner

Creates a topdown map of underground ores, very useful to have an idea of what is below you. It is recommended to use it in conjunction with the Neutrino Lens.

Radar Survey Satellite

Shows a map of active entities in the sky, such as other satellites or inbound missiles.

DUNA Probe with Experimental Nuclear Propulsion

Does nothing but get you an achievement.

Xenium Resonator

Allows teleportation with no cooldown using a satellite designator linked to it. Does not support dimension jumping.

Asteroid Mining Ship

This one needs a cargo landing pad, this rocket periodically (around 10 minutes) will come back to earth and return to space, it will deploy its cargo in the cargo landing pad, the items that it can give you are (all in the form of powder, unless otherwise specified):

It is perhaps the most useful satellite in the mod.

(The landing cargo pad will require a satellite ID-chip with the same frequency as the satellite itself too.)

The same applies to the Lunar Mining Ship, only that it requires an orbital module.

Be noted that the items obtained can be changed via the hbmItemPools.json configuration file, inside the hbmConfig folder.

Gerald The Construction Android

Probably the most powerful weapon in the mod, it has a yield of about 1000+ blocks and it emits no radiation nor fallout.

Its goal is to build a superweapon on the moon - Tom, or its other name "Project Horizons"

In order to use Gerald, you need to link him to a satellite designator and send him to the moon using Soyuz-FG and the Orbital Module. Then, when you launch Gerald to the moon, you can set the X and Z coordinates in the satellite designator, and Tom will fly to the place where you set the coordinates in the designator

  • After you have launched Gerald, you will get the achievement "Apogee".
  • After you specify the coordinates and launch the Tom, you will get the achievement "The Horizons".
  • Gerald is a reference to Fallout: Equestria Project Horizons. Tom is the nickname of the moon rock missile that would launch at the Fo:E world and cause an extinction-level event. The robots that were sent to the moon to build it, were supposed to be Gerald The Construction Android.
  • The crater that Tom forms is able to be mined for osmiridium-infused tektite which is required to make osmiridium and therefore the DFC. This is the only way to obtain osmiridium outside of cheats.

Trivia

Almost every satellite is made out of KSP (Kerbal Space Program) parts. All satellites follow the same structure, except the top part.

  • Most satellites are composed of three major parts in addition to the specific tool mounted on top:
    • An LV-909 "Terrier" liquid fuel engine, with the appearance being that of the engine from earlier KSP versions
    • An FL-T400 fuel tank
    • Two radially-mounted "Gigantor XL Solar Array" photovoltaic panels on opposite sides
    • Optionally, the generic "cone" on top of the fuel tank could be counted as the FL-A10 Adapter.
  • The surface mapping satellite has a slightly edited version of the "SENTINEL Infrared Telescope" on the top.
    • Despite the fact that the SENTINEL Infrared Telescope scans for asteroids in KSP, the NTM version scans overworld's surface instead.
  • The Satellite with depth-resource scanning module has an opened "M700 Survey Scanner" on the top.
  • The radar survey satellite has either a "RA-100" or a "RA-15" relay antenna.
    • The KSP version is just a relay dish and does not feature any scanning abilities, the NTM version scans for airborne objects.
  • The xenium resonator satellite doesn't use any known KSP parts, rather it features the device seen in Half-Life 2 Episode 2 which could be seen in the White Forest rocket. The xenium resonator from Half-Life is pretty much the opposite to the NTM satellite, as it was used to close an inter-dimensional portal.
  • The FOEQ Duna probe with experimental nuclear propulsion is, despite its larger visual differences to the other satellites, also composed of KSP parts:
    • It's experimental engine is the "LV-N Nerv" atomic engine.
    • The significantly smaller solar panels are "OX-4L 1x6" photovoltaic panels.
    • The smaller top satellite dish is based on the "RA-2" relay antenna.
    • "Duna" is a planet in Kerbal Space program.
    • "FOEQ" is a Fo:E reference.
  • The orbital death ray's design is loosely based on several RTGs from KSP on top of each other.
  • Satellites used to have another dedicated rocket that could be used on regular missile launch pads, the HTR-01. This rocket was discontinued and the Soyuz construction cost was rebalanced to make up for it.