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Orbital Salvage
Thrust. Tow. Dock.
Orbital Salvage
Pilot a 3D space tug through 50 missions: fly beacon gates, tow wrecks into salvage bays, rescue escape pods and dock gently.
About the Game
Orbital Salvage is an original 3D space piloting game with 50 missions in orbit above a living planet, in five chapters: Low Orbit, Scrapyard Belt, Gravity Wells, Debris Storm and Dark Side. You fly the Wren, a small salvage tug with real momentum: turn and pitch the nose, fire the main engine to push the way you point, and fire the retro thrusters to slow down, because when the engine is off you keep drifting. Fly through glowing beacon gates, ease up to wrecked satellites, cargo crates and reactor cores until they are hooked onto your tether, then tow them into a salvage yard's collector ring without letting them strike a rock. Match speed with drifting escape pods until the crew is aboard, dock at outposts to refuel, and finish every mission docked back at home. Fuel, hull and time are limited: asteroids, station hulls and gravity-well cores dent the hull, speeding through red debris clouds chips it, and gravity anomalies bend your course and pull on your load. A guide arrow and a holographic marker point to the next target, and lit approach corridors lead you into ports and bays. Finish every task for one star, with at most one hull hit for two, and without a scratch inside par time for three. Every mission was flown start to finish by an autopilot, cleanly and again with late, imprecise inputs, before it shipped. Keyboard or touch controls, three graphics levels, progress saved in your browser.
How to Play
Your tug drifts like a real spacecraft. Turn the nose with the left and right arrows (or A and D) and pitch it up and down with up and down (or W and S); on a touch screen, drag anywhere to steer. Hold Space or Thrust to fire the main engine, which pushes you the way the nose points and burns fuel; hold Shift or Brake to fire the retro thrusters and slow down. Follow the arrow above the tug and the marker to the next target. Gold gates: fly through them. Orange loads: approach slowly until the tether hooks them, then tow them into the green collector ring of the salvage yard. Red escape pods: fly alongside at the same speed until the crew is aboard. Green docking ports: arrive slowly, under about 3 m/s, to dock; outposts refill your tank. Asteroids, station hulls and gravity-well cores cost a hull point, and so does speeding above 8 m/s inside a red debris cloud. Lose all three hull points, run out of fuel or run out of time, and the mission fails.
Controls
- Left / Right arrows or A / DTurn the nose
- Up / Down arrows or W / SPitch the nose up / down
- Space / E or ThrustFire the main engine
- Shift / Q / X or BrakeFire the retro thrusters
- Touch: drag anywhere to steer, hold Thrust and BrakeTouch: drag anywhere to steer, hold Thrust and Brake
- RRestart · Esc / P — Pause
Features
- 50 salvage, towing, rescue and docking missions in five chapters
- Real momentum: thrust, drift and retro braking in full 3D
- Tether towing of satellites, cargo crates and reactor cores
- Gravity wells, debris clouds and tumbling asteroids
- Fuel, hull and time to manage, with outposts and fuel cells
- Keyboard and touch controls with Low, Medium and High graphics
Gameplay Tips
- Brake early: with the engine off you keep drifting at the same speed.
- Thrust in short bursts and coast between them to save fuel.
- While towing, fly wide of rocks: the load swings behind you on the tether.
- Point the nose against your drift and thrust to cancel it.
- Pick up blue fuel cells on the way when the tank runs low.
FAQ
What is Orbital Salvage?
Orbital Salvage is a free 3D space game on ZOQSY with 50 missions: pilot a salvage tug through beacon gates, tow wrecks into salvage bays, rescue escape pods and dock in orbit.
Why do I keep drifting?
The tug has momentum like a real spacecraft. When the engine is off you keep moving; hold Brake to fire the retro thrusters, or turn the nose against your drift and thrust.
How do I tow a load?
Fly slowly up to the orange marker until the tether hooks the load, then fly to the green collector ring in front of the salvage yard; the load is delivered when it passes into the ring.
How do I get three stars?
Finish every task without a single hull hit, inside the mission's par time.
Is every mission possible?
Yes. Every mission was flown start to finish by an autopilot, both cleanly and with deliberately late, imprecise inputs, within the fuel and time it gives you, before it was published.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes — drag anywhere to steer and use the Thrust and Brake buttons. If it runs slowly, choose Low graphics.
Is Orbital Salvage free?
Yes — free in your browser with no download or account. Progress is saved locally on your device.
