This is great news. I requested this puppy.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Wow, I really assumed this game was essentially locked into Steam in some way; expected it to show up even less than Transistor. :) Good news though, and another 300+ votes that'll be off the wishlist! :)

Tasteful and classy.

The upcoming tab on the main page?

Nice! I wonder what the system requirements are.

Current ones on Steam:

MINIMUM:
OS:Windows Vista
Processor:Core 2 Duo
Memory:3 GB RAM
Graphics:SM3 512MB VRAM
Hard Drive:1 GB HD space

RECOMMENDED:
OS:Windows 7 or 8 64 bit
Processor:Core i5
Memory:4 GB RAM
Graphics:SM4 1GB VRAM
Hard Drive:2 GB HD space

Awesome news!

Well, you get to launch space missions to other planets of your system, and you can land on them, and astronauts can get out for a walk and some scientific experiments, but there's not much to explore once there.

and then you'll realise that your mission can't get back home because they don't have enough fuel, or you damaged the ship during landing, or you landed on uneven ground and the ship fell on its side, so they'll be forced to use the stranded ship as some sort of permanent base...
So you'll plan a rescue mission to get them out of there. But due to a piloting error, said rescue mission will crash and explode on a completely different part of the planet...
OK, so you build a bigger ship... Which ends up disassembling and exploding on your launchpad, taking half the labs with it...

You get the picture. The game is all about building and flying rockets (and rovers, and shuttles, and planes if you are good since they're far more complicated to design and pilot than simple rockets). And seeing them fail hideously, but the next one will be better...
And it's glorious that way ^^

Ooh very nice addition!

This game above any other game that I've played gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment when I somehow manage to break a new barrier : reaching space for the first time; getting in orbit for the first time; doing a space walk for the first time; getting in orbit around Mun and returning safely for the first time ; and the absolute best : landing on Mun for the first time, which is one of the best most intense gaming experiences I've ever had!

Coool, instabuy if it lands with a discount.

The game is complicated. You fail. A lot. and you will see a lot of your little Kerbals dying horribly in the process.
But you learn as you go. You get better. a few launches, and you manage to have a stable rocket and to bring back the crew alive. A few more, and you get to orbit. Then you look at the moon, and think "I'll never get there, it's impossible!", but a few more tral-and-errors-(and explosions and stranded ships)...
Learn as you play. It's far from impossible. Even I made it to Duna (Mars), so anybody can :)

My advice : start with a "science campaign". This way, you'll unlock more ship parts ans you go and learn to use them, rather than getting everything at once (sandbox) or having to manage a budget (full campaign)

I have heard so much about this game for years! Will be interesting to see it here and get a look at it - I am excited.

And you even gave us the date; Monday huh?

Thanks.

Hmmm.... 3GB RAM. Probably shouldn't take the chance.

Oh yeah, I was king of the world when I managed to get an astronaut alive on the Mun for the first time :)

(Okay, he was stuck up there for years, but at least the view was nice from his new home ;). And I got a ton of screenshots of Jeb, his flag and his wrecked ship in the great western crater )