Ship Speed & Engine Calculator
Updated: v2026.02.15
Compare up to 2 engine configurations side-by-side. Formulas and tech values are verified against the Aurora game database (AuroraDB.db v2.7.1) and referenced in the manual, except where marked (unverified).
Note: Fuel consumption and range calculations are intentionally excluded. The manual contains contradicting formulas for engine-size fuel efficiency (Appendix A.1.3 vs Section 8.3.5), and runtime fuel consumption claims are also unverified. Only verified calculations are shown here.
HS
(10,000 tons)
Reference Tables
Engine Technology (15 tiers) — AuroraDB.db ref [8.3-1]
| Drive Technology | EP per HS | Research (RP) | Era |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional Engine | 1.0 | 500 | Pre-TN |
| Nuclear Radioisotope Engine | 5.0 | 1,000 | Pre-TN |
| Nuclear Thermal Engine | 6.4 | 2,000 | Starting TN |
| Nuclear Pulse Engine | 8.0 | 4,000 | Early |
| Nuclear Gas-Core Engine | 10.0 | 6,000 | Early |
| Ion Drive | 12.5 | 10,000 | Early-Mid |
| Magneto-Plasma Drive | 16.0 | 20,000 | Mid |
| Magnetic Confinement Fusion Drive | 20.0 | 40,000 | Mid |
| Inertial Confinement Fusion Drive | 25.0 | 80,000 | Mid-Late |
| Solid Core Anti-matter Drive | 32.0 | 150,000 | Late |
| Gas Core Anti-matter Drive | 40.0 | 300,000 | Late |
| Plasma Core Anti-matter Drive | 50.0 | 600,000 | Advanced |
| Beam Core Anti-matter Drive | 64.0 | 1,250,000 | Advanced |
| Photonic Drive | 80.0 | 2,500,000 | Advanced |
| Quantum Singularity Drive | 100.0 | 5,000,000 | Extreme |
Power Modifier Tech — AuroraDB.db ref [8.3-4]
| Technology | Modifier | Research (RP) |
|---|---|---|
| Max Engine Power Modifier x1 | 1.0x | (starting) |
| Max Engine Power Modifier x1.25 | 1.25x | 500 |
| Max Engine Power Modifier x1.5 | 1.5x | 1,000 |
| Max Engine Power Modifier x1.75 | 1.75x | 2,000 |
| Max Engine Power Modifier x2 | 2.0x | 4,000 |
| Max Engine Power Modifier x2.5 | 2.5x | 8,000 |
| Max Engine Power Modifier x3 | 3.0x | 15,000 |
| Technology | Modifier | Research (RP) |
|---|---|---|
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.5 | 0.5x | (starting) |
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.4 | 0.4x | 1,000 |
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.3 | 0.3x | 2,000 |
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.25 | 0.25x | 4,000 |
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.2 | 0.2x | 8,000 |
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.15 | 0.15x | 15,000 |
| Min Engine Power Modifier x0.1 | 0.1x | 30,000 |
Max Engine Size Tech — AuroraDB.db ref [8.3-3]
| Max Engine Size (HS) | Research (RP) |
|---|---|
| 25 | 1,000 |
| 40 | 2,000 |
| 60 | 4,000 |
| 100 | 8,000 |
| 160 | 15,000 |
| 250 | 30,000 |
| 400 | 60,000 |
Boost Explosion Chance — AuroraDB.db TechTypeID=42 ref [A-4]
| Boost Level | Multiplier | Explosion Chance | Research (RP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | x1.0 | 5% | 250 |
| +10% | x1.1 | 7% | 500 |
| +20% | x1.2 | 10% | 1,000 |
| +30% | x1.3 | 15% | 2,000 |
| +40% | x1.4 | 20% | 4,000 |
| +60% | x1.6 | 30% | 8,000 |
| +80% | x1.8 | 40% | 15,000 |
| +100% | x2.0 | 50% | 30,000 |
Fuel Consumption Tech — AuroraDB.db ref [8.3-7]
This table shows the base fuel consumption rate technology. Note: the engine-size fuel efficiency modifier is excluded from the calculator due to contradicting formulas (#1215).
| Tech Level | Litres per EP-Hour | Research (RP) |
|---|---|---|
| Base | 1.0 | (starting) |
| 1 | 0.9 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 0.8 | 2,000 |
| 3 | 0.7 | 4,000 |
| 4 | 0.6 | 8,000 |
| 5 | 0.5 | 15,000 |
| 6 | 0.4 | 30,000 |
| 7 | 0.3 | 60,000 |
| 8 | 0.25 | 120,000 |
| 9 | 0.2 | 250,000 |
| 10 | 0.16 | 500,000 |
| 11 | 0.125 | 1,000,000 |
| 12 | 0.1 | 2,000,000 |
Fuel Storage Modules — AuroraDB.db TechTypeID=94, ComponentTypeID=3 ref [14.1-4]
| Module | Size (HS) | Capacity (litres) | HTK | Cost (BP) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel Storage - Minimal | 0.002 | 100 | 0 | 0.01 |
| Fuel Storage - Fighter | 0.02 | 1,000 | 0 | 0.08 |
| Fuel Storage - Tiny | 0.1 | 5,000 | 0 | 0.3 |
| Fuel Storage - Small | 0.2 | 10,000 | 0 | 0.5 |
| Fuel Storage - Standard | 1.0 | 50,000 | 1 | 2.0 |
| Fuel Storage - Large | 5.0 | 250,000 | 1 | 5.0 |
| Fuel Storage - Very Large | 20.0 | 1,000,000 | 1 | 10.0 |
| Fuel Storage - Ultra Large | 100.0 | 5,000,000 | 1 | 25.0 |
Formulas used:
Excluded: Fuel consumption rate, range, and engine-size fuel efficiency — see #1215 and #1214 for details.
Speed (km/s) = Total_EP * 1000 / Ship_Size_HS — ref A-1, A-2Engine_Power = Size_HS * EP_per_HS * Power_Modifier — ref A-3Commercial = Power_Modifier <= 0.5 AND Size >= 25 HS — ref 8.3-6Boost_Penalty = (4 ^ Modifier) / 4 — ref A-11Excluded: Fuel consumption rate, range, and engine-size fuel efficiency — see #1215 and #1214 for details.