Space is the place, They say, and it's certainly popular today. Hot on the heels of Stardock's announcement of Galactic Civilizations III, Double Fine Productions has launched Spacebase DF-9 via Early Access. If you dream of building and running your own space station while peering into the inmost thoughts of its denizens, oh, what fun you'll have.

Starting with just three citizens and a tiny seed pod, you'll mine, build, and expand a space station, while dealing with meteor strikes, parasites, invasions, and other problems. Your space-folks are more than just numbers, with simulated social lives, jobs, likes and dislikes, and space-blogs revealing their thoughts--for example, that they can feel something squirming inside their guts.

Double Fine still has a huge long list of things it'd still like to add, but the basics are playable.

Paying at least $25 will get you a copy of the finished game for PC, Mac, and Linux plus alpha access. If you fancy paying more, more expensive tiers include the soundtrack, a bundle of Double Fine games, and having in-game citizens named after you.

Spacebase DF-9 began life in one of Double Fine's Amnesia Fortnight game jams, as one of five ideas the public voted to become prototypes. Curiously, the game's also received financial backing from studios, companies, and folks including Indie Fund, Humble Bundle, and The Behemoth.

Here's a flashy trailer to celebrate the launch, though Double Fine has also put together an in-depth 38-minute gameplay demo with project lead JP LeBreton demonstrating how to start out: