XTRONAUT 2.0: The game of solar system exploration

A Rocket Board Game Designed By A Real Space Scientist

Do you have what it takes to put together a space mission and race through the solar system? Identify your mission target and put together the right combination of rocket parts, spacecraft, and gravity assists. Along the way, you need to navigate through real-life landmines, such as government shutdowns or cancellation of your mission. These concepts are critical to achieving success in real space missions, and in winning Xtronaut!


Comes with a Science Handbook, connecting play to the science behind the game. Bonus content includes:

  • Designing a space mission

  • How rockets work

  • Gravity assists

  • Details on the four brands of rocket in the game

  • Latest results from OSIRIS-REx exploration of asteroid Bennu

  • Description of NASA's new Dragonfly mission


Estimated play duration: 60 mins
Recommended Ages: 8 years+

Players: 2 - 6 players

Available Kits: 2 (Each kit contains three sets of Xtronaut 2.0)

GET READY TO LAUNCH YOUR ROCKET! Each player receives one of six player game boards. Each board represents a real space launch complex from either Cape Canaveral Air Force Station or Vandenberg Air Force Base. These boards contain your active mission, rocket parts, spacecraft, and gravity assist cards, as well as tracking your points and total mission delta-V.

COMPLETING YOUR SPACE MISSION Each player selects a Mission Card from the deck. These are all scientifically accurate space missions – real science and real fun! This card determines the player's mission – the destination, type of spacecraft, amount of Delta-V needed, the potential to obtain gravity assists, and the points earned for completion. Delta-V stands for change in velocity, and as applied to space exploration and this game, it means the change necessary for a spacecraft to complete a mission. This concept is critical in real space mission planning, and in winning Xtronaut!

REAL SPACECRAFT FOR REAL SCIENCE There are four types of spacecraft – the vehicle that separates from the rocket and completes the space mission. Each mission requires a specific spacecraft type that is listed on the Mission Card. There are 3 sizes of spacecraft, whose mass causes different ΔV from the rocket boosters when breaking Earth’s pull. The larger the vehicle, the more science and data points that can be achieved. Spacecraft include orbiters, rovers, landers, and rotorcraft of different sizes.

ACTION CARDS: REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES The Action Cards allow players to improve their odds of winning or confound other players. These cards introduce real-world challenges and opportunities that space mission planners face every day, such as government shutdowns and natural disasters.