This tutorial was based on Space Engineers 1.077.007. As the game is updated some information presented here may change.

The following is required in order to maintain your suits energy and oxygen to keep you alive:

• Refinery
  
• Assembler
  
• Reactor
  
• Oxygen Generator
  
• Uranium
  
• Ice

You need uranium ingots to power a reactor which powers the refinery which converts uranium ore to uranium ingots.

If you run out of uranium ingots to power your base, your refinery will become unpowered and unable to process uranium ore into ingots...which effectively means you will die without energy.

You need ice to create breathable air in the oxygen generator which must be powered by energy.

You need the assembler to create components which are necessary to build platforms, ships and other advanced items such as alternative energy sources (solar power, stored energy, conveyor and storage systems, etc.).

All of these things can be built on a stationary platform or on a mobile large ship.

Minimum required parts to make a flyable ship:

• 6 thrusters - One for each direction: Up, Down, Forward, Backward, Left, Right
  
• 1 cockpit
  
• 1 reactor - A power source (needs Uranium in survival)
  
• 1 gyroscope - To allow turning (not absolutely necessary but not very practical without)

For large ships, you can use a flight seat or control station.
You can replace the reactor with a battery if you have a means of recharging it such as using a connector to another ship/base or solar panels.
It is advisable to use a battery-powered system and have a uranium-powered (reactor) system as a backup.

Minimum required parts to make survival-ready ship. This means it will provide energy and oxygen to your suit to keep you alive.

• Everything from the Minimum Flyable section.
  
• 1 oxygen generator properly attached to the cockpit to allow airflow.
  
• Ice which is used by the oxygen generator to provide breathable air.

Amount of ice required to fill a large or small ship oxygen generator and cockpit is 3,347kg

Amount of ice required to fill your suit is 34kg which lasts about 26 minutes.


Oxygen can flow through cargo and conveyor systems. You could configure your ship to only have an oxygen storage tank that gets refueled when you dock with another ship or base.
For ships that do not have oxygen in the cockpit, you can carry an oxygen bottle in your inventory that will replenish your suits oxygen when it gets below 25%. The bottles can be refilled by placing them in an oxygen generator or oxygen tank.

This section covers the basic requirements to remotely pilot a ship you are not on or does not have a cockpit system.

For the ship being controlled:

• Everything from the Minimum Flyable section (cockpit not required)
  
• 1 remote control
  
• 1 antenna - Broadcast radius MUST reach the other locations antenna (not the other way around)
  
• 1 or more cameras (not absolutely necessary but not very practical without)

For the ship/platform controlling the other ship:

• 1 antenna - Broadcast radius does not affect ability to control remote. The remote antenna must reach the controller's antenna.
  
• Anything that allows access to the Control Panel terminal such as a seat, button, etc.

You could configure the ship for control while in a passenger seat on the same ship.

Out of receiving range - Probably no antenna installed.
Out of broadcasting range - Antenna is not owned by you or antenna is too far away.
Remote access - Ship is within range and capable of being remotely controlled.
Direct access - The ship/platform you are currently on.

All components that can be stored can travel through the large ports and large conveyors.
The following components cannot travel through small ports and small conveyors:

• Oxygen bottle
  
• Missile Container
  
• Automatic Rifle
  
• Bulletproof Glass
  
• Detector Components
  
• Display
  
• Girder
  
• Gravety Generator Components
  
• Grinder
  
• Hand Drill
  
• Interior Plates
  
• Large Steel Pipes
  
• Medical Components
  
• Metal Grid
  
• Power Cells
  
• Radio Components
  
• Small Steel Pipes
  
• Solar Cells
  
• Steel Plates
  
• Welder

You can use connectors on any part of the ship to dock with another ship/base if your only purpose is to charge a battery. It does not need to be hooked into a cargo/conveyor system for energy transfer.