Hello all. I'm new to TI and I'll be hosting my first game with it next week with some friends who are also new to the game or at the very least have not played in a long time. Most of the rules seem pretty strait forward which is great. The only thing I'm having a problem with is how does a player gain control of a planet that is not currently controlled by another player. In the combat section it specifies that the player with ground units left wins the combat. In the planet entry and control entry it also states that you can only control another players planet if you land troops on it and then remove their control token and take the planet card. Nothing in the control entry says how to gain control of an unclaimed planet. My guess is that you must land troops on a planet to control it but I could someone point me to the right rule or FAQ that states that?

Thank you for your time.

Rules reference 44 "Invasion"

Your guess is right. You need to land ground forces on the planet, skip every battle phase stuff and claim the planet card.

You control a planet if and as long as you have its planet card in your play area.

On a planet you control you either have a unit or a control marker.

Thank you