You don’t know exactly what happened, but you see the consequences. They boil down to the fact that you find yourself in a fairly advanced escape pod, and you look for a new home in space.
This is one of those games that never end. How long it lasts depends solely on your abilities.
The essence of the game comes down to flying from one planet to another. Some of them will be lifeless, others may be partially habitable. Either way, your task is to collect samples from the surfaces of potential space homes and move on until you find something suitable. In addition, you should also make your way to avoid collisions with comets, asteroids and other celestial bodies. Also, don’t forget to keep track of the capsule’s resources, and replenish them as you get to each planet. Avoid landing in bodies of water, swamps, and other inappropriate locations to reduce the chance of your capsule malfunctioning.