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Eve as seen from orbit.
Planet of Kerbol
Orbital Characteristics
Apoapsis 9 931 011 387 m [Note 1]
Periapsis 9 734 357 701 m [Note 1]
Orbital eccentricity 0.01
Orbital inclination 2.1 °
Argument of periapsis 0 °
Longitude of the ascending node 15 °
Mean anomaly 3.14 rad (at 0s UT)
Sidereal orbital period 5 657 995 s
261 d 5 h 39 m 55.1 s
Synodic orbital period 14 687 035.5 s
Orbital velocity 10 811 - 11 029 m/s
Physical Characteristics
Equatorial radius 700 000 m
Equatorial circumference 4 398 230 m
Surface area 6.1575216×1012 m2
Mass 1.2243980×1023 kg
Standard gravitational parameter 8.1717302×1012 m3/s2
Density 85 219.677 kg/m3
Surface gravity 16.7 m/s2 (1.701 g)
Escape velocity 4 831.96 m/s
Sidereal rotation period 80 500.000 s
3 d 4 h 21 m 40 s
Solar day 81 661.857 s
3 d 4 h 41 m 1.9 s
Sidereal rotational velocity 54.636 m/s
Synchronous orbit 10 328.47 km
Sphere of influence 85 109 365 m [Note 1]
Atmospheric Characteristics
Atmosphere present ✓ Yes
Atmospheric pressure 506.625 kPa
5 atm
Atmospheric height 90 000 m
5.0×10-6 atm
Temperaturemin -113.13 °C 160.02 K
Temperaturemax 146.85 °C 420 K
Oxygen present × No
Scientific multiplier
Surface 8
Splashed 8
Lower atmosphere 6
Upper atmosphere 6
Near space 7
Outer space 5
Recovery 5


Eve is the second planet from Kerbol, the closest planet to Kerbin, and KSP's analogue for the planet Venus. It has one small moon: a captured asteroid called Gilly. It is especially notable for its extremely thick, dense atmosphere, which makes aerobraking and returning two of the most dangerous activities in the game. Additionally, Eve has the greatest surface gravity of all the planets, and the second highest escape velocity, second only to Jool.

In-game description

Eve is certainly the purplest object in the solar system. It’s one of the larger, most visible objects, mainly because of its very, very purple tint.

It is considered by some to be almost a sister planet to Kerbin. Well, despite the purple, and the toxic atmosphere, and the extreme press- ures and temperatures. Actually, it’s not very similar at all is it? Who are those people?''

Kerbal Astronomical Society


The surface of Eve looks not unlike that of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. It has several oceans, among which lie large, flat continents. The terrain has a few mountain peaks but mostly consists of rolling hills that resemble purple sand dunes. These are speckled with small boulders, no doubt worn down by Eve's pressure, temperature, and winds. Eve's surface is covered with craters. Eve's highest mountain range has a peak of 7526 m.


Temperature and pressure of Eve's atmosphere as a function of altitude.
A comparison of the atmospheres of Eve and Kerbin


The average molecular weight of Eve air is 43 g/mol, and its adiabatic index is 1.20. Although the composition of Eve's atmosphere is unknown these values suggest that it may consist largely of carbon dioxide. Another possibility is that the atmosphere is filled with ethane gas (C2H6, with a heat capacity of 1.2 and a molecular weight of 30 g/mol) and other compounds. If we assume LiquidFuel is kerosene, the joke that the lakes of Eve are LiquidFuel is strengthened by the purple colour since it is often mixed with a purple dye prior to sale. With a thick atmosphere filled with hydrocarbons, it's easy to imagine reactions that would yield compounds such as RP-1, the grade of kerosene used as rocket fuel. An atmosphere of 90% CO2 and 10% C2H6 would have molecular weights and adiabatic indexes close to what is seen on Eve, though there are other combinations of gases that would work as well.


Altitude (m) Pressure (Pa) Pressure (atm)
0 506 625 5.000
2 500 403 913 3.986
5 000 316 277 3.121
7 500 242 677 2.395
10 000 182 072 1.797
12 500 133 423 1.317
15 000 95 689 0.944
20 000 44 335 0.438
25 000 18 073 0.178
30 000 8 233 0.081
35 000 5 196 0.051
40 000 3 500 0.035
50 000 121.8 0.001
60 000 23.00 0.000
70 000 4.344 0.000
80 000 0.8205 0.000
90 000 0 0.000



From within Eve's atmosphere, the sky appears indigo during nighttime and a violet-purple color during the daytime. During dawn and dusk, the sky is green. The color of Eve's sky is likely due to wind-borne dust from Eve's purple surface, though it has also been suggested that iodine gas could be an atmospheric constituent.

Atmospheric flight

The thickness of Eve's atmosphere makes it well suited for aerocapture from a high-speed interplanetary intercept. The periapsis altitude required for a successful aerocapture depends on the spacecraft's drag characteristics, its approach velocity, and the desired apoapsis of the resulting orbit. The most effective periapsis for aerocapture is best determined experimentally; however, for a Hohmann transfer originating from Kerbin, it is found that the median value is about 62 km. Heat shields are required to prevent destructive overheating.



Because of Eve's high atmospheric pressure, rocket engines perform poorly at low altitudes. The engines best suited for low altitude use on Eve are the Aerospike, Vector, and Mammoth.



A large portion of Eve is covered in oceans of "Explodium",[1] a liquid with a density of 1.5 tonnes per cubic metre[2] that is heavily implied to be a form of rocket fuel. A real-world liquid that closely fits the properties of explodium is hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which has a density of 1.450 tonnes per cubic metre and can be used as a monopropellant.

Eve is one of only three celestial bodies with oceans, alongside Kerbin and Laythe.


Eve's orbit and atmosphere have a science multiplier of 7, which is rather average. But the surface has a multiplier of 12, which is the third highest science multiplier in the Kerbol System. Eve has 15 Biomes with their own science to be collected. Its main features are a large Explodium Sea with some scattered Islands and Shallow areas as well as a Main Continent and Poles. Within the Continent lie three large bodies of liquid, one being a Crater Lake. There are also areas covered with Impact Ejecta.

Biome list

Eve biome map as of 1.2
  • Poles
  • Lowlands
  • Midlands
  • Highlands
  • Foothills
  • Peaks
  • Impact Ejecta
  • Explodium Sea
  • Akatsuki Lake
  • Shallows
  • Crater Lake
  • Western Sea
  • Olympus
  • Craters
  • Eastern Sea

Natural satellites

Eve's only natural satellite is the tiny captured asteroid Gilly in a highly eccentric and inclined orbit. Gilly is the smallest celestial body in the Kerbol system and has the lowest surface gravity of any celestial body.

Orbital statistics



A synchronous orbit of Eve requires an altitude of 10373.195 km and a velocity of 858.95 m/s. For a semi-synchronous orbit of ½ an Eve day (11.25 hours or 40500 seconds) an orbit of 6275.676 km above Eve is needed with a velocity of 1082.2 m/s.

Reference frames

Time warp Minimum Altitude
5× 90 000 m (above the atmosphere)
10× 90 000 m (above the atmosphere)
50× 90 000 m (above the atmosphere)
100× 120 000 m
1 000× 240 000 m
10 000× 480 000 m
100 000× 600 000 m



  • Solar panels will probably break off in flight, even with very low velocity. It's best to wait to extend them till stable on the surface, however, they can break on the surface of Eve even when retracted. This may be due to Eve's high gravity.
  • Rovers can be challenging to drive on Eve due to its gravity, as the rover's wheels will easily break, but on the upside, since the gravity pulls them lower on their shocks and thus lower the centre of mass, they will be harder to flip over. Although not a glitch, it could cause clipping issues with a Kerbal sitting in EAS-1 External Command Seats
  • When landing fast, a craft will sometimes sink into the surface of Eve. This can be fixed by using landing legs or engines to lift the ship up.


  • Added biomes
  • Redid Eve's pressure curve to smooth it out and remove errors.
  • Added biomes
  • Terrain Tweaks — more land mass to the surface
  • Art pass.
  • Initial Release


  1. The oceans are referred to as "Explodium Seas" by science experiments
  2. As of 1.0.5, oceans now have explicit density values: Eve's oceans now have a density of 1.5 tonnes/m3 while water has a density of 1.0 tonnes/m3.