# Expanse: Universe Explorer — Space program & 3D galaxy map

> Space program & 3D galaxy map (iPhone/iPad app by Patrick Hardy.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/expanse-universe-explorer/id6819069898 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Patrick Hardy](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884707959)
- Category: Games, Education, Simulation, Strategy
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 540 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-11-02
- Data updated: 2026-11-10

## What is Expanse?

Start at Earth. Explore the Solar System, chart nearby stars, and plan what comes next. Expanse combines a 3D map built from astronomical catalogues with a space-program simulation and a science-fiction story.

EXPLORE THE SKY
Search for stars and exoplanets, inspect planets and moons, and zoom out to nebulae, galaxies and the cosmic web. Browse spacecraft and station models. Scientific measurements, estimates and imagined worlds have different roles in the game; the alien civilisations and future technologies are fiction.

RUN A SPACE PROGRAM
Research propulsion, launch probes, send messages and plan crewed missions. Distance changes every decision: a probe can arrive long before its news reaches Earth. Compare a traveller's time with the years passing at home.

CHOOSE YOUR ERA
Begin with present-day technology and build toward interstellar exploration, or jump into the Far Future to crew a ship in a setting with fictional faster-than-light travel. Gather evidence about other civilisations and follow a story whose replies may take decades to arrive.

LOOK AND LISTEN
Explore telescope views and Hubble and Webb imagery. Listen to selected NASA recordings and astronomical sonifications, with source credits in the app. Streamed images require an internet connection; built-in images remain available offline.

Your saved games and settings stay on your device, subject to your device's backup settings. No account, advertising or in-app purchases. Telescope views and higher-resolution images connect to external astronomy services when you use those features.

Source acknowledgements and licences are available under Menu > Credits & licences. Scientific organisations and image providers do not endorse Expanse.

## Is Expanse safe?

Not enough ratings yet to assess Expanse.

## Is Expanse legit?

Expanse: Universe Explorer appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Expanse is 65 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.


## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.0.2 — 2026-11-06

A much smaller app: the high-detail 3D models are now an optional download (Menu > Settings > Download for offline) instead of part of the install, so the app is less than half its previous size.

The Library, which explains the ideas and every technology in the game, now sits at the top of the menu under LEARN, with its own button in the top bar and on the map's navigation row.

Also: a rating prompt after a successful mission, a Privacy policy button in Credits, and small fixes.

### 1.0.1 — 2026-11-02

No release notes.

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## More apps by Patrick Hardy

- [Verispec - Home Inspection AI](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/verispec-home-inspection-ai/id6760491201)
- [Prepd: Test Prep & Study](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prepd-test-prep-and-study/id6760706987)
- [Phylo – Tree of Life Explorer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phylo-tree-of-life-explorer/id6827091868)

All apps by Patrick Hardy: https://appshunter.io/developer/1884707959

## Related topics

[winstar universe](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/winstar-universe)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-10.*
