‘Kerbal Space Program 2’ now launching in 2022

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Kerbonauts will need to wait a year longer to fly their newest missions in “Kerbal Space Program 2,” which is now set to launch in 2022 instead of later this fall as previously stated.

Nate Simpson, creative director of the game, told fans on a Kerbal forum last fall that he knew the news will be frustrating after other delays with the game’s release.

“We’ve heard time and again from this community that quality is paramount, and we feel the same way,” he said in the post.

“It’s not enough to deliver a bunch of new features — those features have to be woven together into a stable, polished whole. We’re creating a reliable foundation on which players and modders alike can build for another decade or more. That involves solving problems that have never been solved before, and that takes time.”

Gaming site Eurogamer complained about the latest Kerbal Space Program 2 slip due to the number of delays since the game’s original projected release date this year. “Originally, it was due 2020, which was later adjusted to ‘fiscal 2021’ — sometime between April 2020 and March 2021. Then, because of coronavirus, it became autumn 2021,” Eurogamer wrote of previous, missed targets.

Simpson did point to signs of hope, including his excitement at seeing technical leaps forward from the team of developers. He also promised plenty of teasers for the new game, including images, videos and developer diaries. “Hopefully those will help to make 2021 go a little faster,” he said.

Kerbal — a game noted for its devotion to accurate physics in spaceflight — will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. The year 2020 was busy for its company, Private Division, as it announced opportunities for Kerbonauts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of astronauts on the International Space Station in November and the launch of the first commercial crew mission in May.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.