Overview
A presentation and location of all the airlocks I have found around Talos I (and Pytheas, that you can explore in the Mooncrash DLC). They allow you to sneak past some dangers, some are necessary if you don’t have some repairing/hacking skills, some contain loot, some allow you to take a break from enemies. Some of them contain some loot and corpses! They are not shown on the maps you can download from the security booths, and are insanely useful!
Main Lobby
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To get from the lobby to the security station wihtout a keycard
This is ideal to grab the shotgun that is inside the security station at the very beginning of the game. There is a corridor that will lead you to the door, locked.
Look above the door, you have some pipes that can be climbed on. Use Glu on the walls to help you reach them, and you’ll get to an airlock, leading you to the inside of the security station.
Voila, an early game shotgun that will be helpful!
Hardware Labs
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To get from the entrance to the lobby
When you first enter these labs, the door that is right after the security booth is closed. You can get to the rest of the labs however, by going towards the demonstration theatre, by going left at the security booth. If you go down towards the scene, and look to the right, you will find an airlock.
You can also use it as a cover when you are attacked in the lobby.
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Power control panel in the lobby
The zone is unpowered? You can turn everything back on (should you?) by going inside that lock to get to the control panel. It is to the right of the room leading to the machine shop.
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From the lobby to the machine shop
You will do that kind of travel often, as the shop is the place with the lock towards space. There is an electrical damage in front of the door that leads to the shop, but if you go towards Calvino’s workshop (to your left), and then go right when you are facing it, you will find behind some stuff a very useful airlock to get you to the shop.
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From the machine shop to the med bay
You see those mobile platforms dangling from the roof of the machine shop? This next airlock is at their level. Get on one of them (it is pretty easy from the platform where you find the recycler),
and then make you way towards the small room and onto the pipes. You can see it here at the top.
This is the other end in the med bay.
Be careful, there are mimics in this one! -
From Ballistics lab to the secret “Blackbox” lab, Typhon neuromod needed
This one is essential if you want to complete the “Blackbox” side quest and you don’t have any human powers (i.e Repair). In this lab, you will find a sphere with mimics in it, used to make demonstrations of the recycler charge.
Climb on the sphere, and you will find an airlock half open. Use your mimicry power to change into a small object (there is one conviniently placed within your range on the other side of the lock, no need to bring anything with you), and crawl your way in.
This is the small object you will need to disguise as. You can transform from the other side. Enjoy the Q beam laser! You will still need the keycard to get to the other room though.
Psychotronics lab
There is no airlock that I am aware of in this area. Plenty of hidden stuff though ;D
Neuromod Division
Most of the spots I will mention here are on the second floor. You can get there even without any neuromod. Use the gravity elevators with Glu!
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From the simulation lab to the lobby
This one is quite litterally shown in the tutorial of the game telling you how you can play your own way. You can use it if you’re too lazy to look for the keycard (it’s right there come on though).
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From the second floor to the Volunteers’ Quarters
This lock will lead you to the platform above the fontain in the lobby, and then from here you can access an another lock that leads to the Volunteers’ Quarters. The lock is hidden behind a corpse and some cargo, you need a recycler charge, Lift Field or Leverage to get rid of it. It is located at the corner of the corridor, between Volunteers’ Quarters and Volunteer Testing.
From there, you are going to need to climb a bit, and then you’ll get to the platform. Once here, turn right, and use the other airlock to get to Volunteers’ Quarters.
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Powering Volunteers’ Quarters
You need to go through the dormitory, and find the showers. Here you have a small airlock at ground level, that leads you to the control panel to bring back the power.
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From Volunteers’ Quarters to Fabrication (Hacking II or Mimicry required!)
Look for the security office, at the left of the entrance door of the quarters. To get in, hack the door, or go around the room, and find the broken door, that you can slide under.
Behind the desk, you should find an airlock.
This one is also pretty long and leads to Fabrication, which has a lot of loot. Be careful if you want to go in there in early game, nasty typhons ahead!
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From Fabrication recycler room to the under tunnel
You want that shiny neuromod that is taunting you just out of your reach under the crane?
Go into the recycler room. Look right, on the ground when you are facing the recycler.
Open grate with Leverage, Lift Field or destroy it with a recycler charge! Get into it to avoid typhons or get the loot.
Life Support
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From the entrance to the toilet (sweet loot)
This one is easy to find. Look on your right as you enter life support (from the main lobby).
This airlock contains a very important corpse Tobias Frost, who has the particle injector needed for the “Psychic Water” side quest, really cool f you want to do a Typhon run, or if you need psychic mana.
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From the toilet to under the previous tunnel (more loot)
An ailock WITHIN an airlock? Yeah, this time it contains the keycard to the security booth. Once you are in the toilet, you will find under some Glu a grid. Lift it using either Leverage or Lift Field, or destroy it with a recycler charge.
Once you get to the end of that tunnel, lift your head and you will be able to open another airlock, that was closed from the other side. You’ll get to the tunnel you were if you sneaked your way into the toilets.
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From the locker room to Air Control
You can go down the stairs and then, to your right, you will find a corridor leading to the air control zone. There is a locker room that you can access from that corridor, and it can be useful to avoid the phantoms patrolling the area.
Don’t hesitate to go back into your airlock to escape from tricky situations!
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From the Air Control Area to the Air Control Room
Once you are in air control, you can get into the room on the right side by using an airlock. You need to go behind the room, and then look up.
You cannot access that airlock without a bit of Glu, but then you will be able to sneak in. Really useful when Dahl takes everyone hostage, since he retreats in this room. By using the airlock, you can get the jump on him and knock him down more easily. He faces towards the door wherever you come from!
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From the corridor to the Waste Management zone
As you make your way towards the Power Plant, you will be blocked by a telepath corrupting the door and locking it. You will need to defeat it, but the door leading to that zone is not powered. You will need to look up once again, af for the answer lies above.
You see that spot of light, at the top left? We need to get there! Climb on the pipes and use a bit of Glu to make your way to this weird balcony,
, make the jump and then find the airlock that will lead you in.
You can leave using this lock, but it is tricky to get back in there, as you fall down when you enter. Power the zone and the door will be open!
Power Plant
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To get from the entrance to the corridor
If you have no Repair ability, you will find yourself in front of a locked door after the security booth. Look to your right, then above the operator dispenser.
An airlock! Most of the time the operator will arrive from there to greet you. Climb on the dispenser, then use the fabulous power of GLu to climb to the airlock. You’re in!
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To avoid all the typhons in the cooling chamber
You have to be careful around here! There is a set of tunnels that go all around the floor of that big room.
There are plenty of entrances like this one, use them to duck into cover!
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To find the missing engineer (Jean Faure) in the engine room
This area is made of platforms going down and down, towards the control room of the engine. On the highest floor, (the one you’re at when you first enter the zone), if you go to your right, you will find the elevator cage and a locked door.
Behind it you should be able to see an airlock. In order to access it, you have to go down the stairs, then go back towards the elevator cage, for at this lower floor there is no door to hold you back. Get in the elevator cage, and let the Glu parkour begin.
Make your way up, be careful of the phantom, and finally find Jean Faure.
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To get into the engine control room without the keycard (Leverage required, or potentially Mimicry)
If you don’t want to look for the keycard as you are about to reboot the whole station, climb on top of the room, and you will find a hatch.
I have tried using a recycler charge, doesn’t work, only leverage will work. I guess if you disguise as a can, you can squeeze through, but didn’t try for myself.
Arboretum
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From the recycler room to the outside
You have to use this one as it is necessary to progress, like some other airlocks I mentionned in this guide. Therefore, it is brightly lit, and you should find it easily. Climb the stairs that lead to the locked door, then look right.
A body, lights, everything so you can find it. This is the other end, remember to use it for cover!
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From Alex’s office to a secret room
Once you are in his office, it is pretty simple to see. It is next to his looking glass screen.
Enter to access his safe.
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Technically not airlocks but…
In the corridor leading towards the elevator, you have next to the pair of turrets aquarium looking glass.
Smash it, loot (and nasty typhon) behind! There is a sneakier way, by going into the med bay, and using a recycler charge, Leverage or Lift Field to remove the pieces of cargo in front of the airlock, right next to the operator dispenser.
You can get into that same area also by falling via the waterfall, since with a wrench you can break its floor.
Smash the glasses! There is a looking glass screen in the gardens.Once you smashed it, go towards the bottom of it.
Then look up.
Use glu to climb up, you will find the body of Julien Howard, the gardener/botanist. Side quest triggers when you find him.
Bridge
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From the entrance to the meeting room
This area is fairly small, but it has a secret path! When you enter the bridge, go forward, towards the gravity fields elevators thingy. Do not use them, turn right before them.
There, you should find behind a bit of cargo (remove it with a recycler charge, Lift Field or Leverage) the entrance to a tunnel that will allow you to go around the controls, and then when you find the exit (you have to look up!) you will get behind the looking glass, and this corridor will lead you to the meeting room, no keycard required.
This is the exit!
Crew Quarters
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Powering the Yellow Tulip (and hiding spot)
In the Yellow Tulip, you can easily turn the power on by sneaking on the right when you enter it. You will find a room with a round table, look on the right wall. An airlock will lead you to the control panel.
Great hiding spot too!
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From the cinema to the recreation center
Go to the cinema, and look at the end right of the corridor, in front of the second room.
This lock leads to the recreation room, a bit of Glu climbing is necessary once you get there if you want to avoid fall damage.
Great idea to enter this zone via the airlock, as it makes dealing with the threats in this room much easier. Unless you fall down, obviously.
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Sneaking into Sarah Elazar’s cabin
You need to locate the lock, hidden behind some boxes in the corridor that leads to her cabin.
Once you’re in, smash the glass that’s in your way.
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Cook related shenaningans
This next part is spoilers if you haven’t completed the cook related side quests. If you are struggling to get out of his “trap”, here you go: you were not paying much attention to the mountain of evidence showing you the cook isn’t this strange thicc looking man?
Well, once you are locked in the cold chamber, open every door you can find, sweet loot ahead. Then, go to the end of the corridor, and open the left room.
Check the corpse, precious info… Rip Abby. You see that airlock behind the block of ice?
You see that conviniently placed flammable pipe? Yeah? Shoot it and the ice will melt.
Tada!
Now you can get back to the kitchen.
Deep Storage
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From the entrance to the main room (sneaky)
Once you enter, go check the computer on the right and then go to the left. Look at the floor, you should find a grid, open.
Once in, the exit is in the main room. Shoot recycler charges from the tunnel, and you should avoid taking damage. This is the exit!
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From the main room to the security booth
Not an airlock per se, but if you go towards the low gravity storage room, you should have the security booth on your left. Go right, and look up.
Use a shot of Glu to get in there, and crawl to get to the security booth, if finding the keycard is a hassle for you.
Cargo Bay
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From the Cargo Bay to the G.U.T.S
Behold, the only lock that lets you travel between areas! To get to this one, you need to get rid of the typhons in cargo bay B. Then, go towards the door that leads to Life Support.
You should find an area looking like that. Follow the G.U.T.S sign! Go take that path, and get into the micro gravity chamber. There, turn around and look up.
Right above where you entered is the airlock that leads to the G.U.T.S.
Shuttle Bay
No airlock in that area, as I remember.
G.U.T.S
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From the main tunnel to Cargo Bay
If you go at the very end of the main tunnel, at the opposite of the arboretum
you might find a cargo station, with containers. This is your way to the cargo bay.
There is a side quest that you can complete here, but it isn’t necessary to access the cargo bay. It is the other end of the lock mentionned in the Cargo Bay section.
Outside
These airlocks are not needed until late game, and since they are needed for the main quest, you won’t find anything if you try to get in there… Have fun findind them!
Mooncrash DLC
The following sections will be about the Pytheas Moonbase, that you can explore in the Mooncrash DLC. It plays a bit differently compared to Prey, but it is enjoyable once you understand the gameplay loop.
Crew Quarters
There is a reserve at the back of the kitchen, that might be unreachable because the door is broken or you need the keycard. It is filled with food items and a loot crate (that can be golden if you’re lucky 😉 ).
You will find it behind telecomunication. They are the booths facing the karaoke area.
and look what’s behind!
If you don’t have hacking or repair nor a keycard you can always enter the utility room (the one where Claire works, with the recycler and fabricator in it). You will need to access the lobby, and then go towards the habitation pods. Turn right, and go all the way in until you reach the showers. Look on your right, at ground level, there is an airlock that will get you to the utility room.
If you manage to open the door of the utility room, you can now completely bypass the typhon gate and save some disruptor batteries or psy powers.
The last habitation pods on the left corridor is the one with the security staff’s habitation pods. Countains weapons and nice loot. You can hack your way in or get a keycard, or go the the showers right next to the pods. Then, look up to your left, and you will find an airlock that will get you into the room.
From what I usually see, one if the doors is always intact, meaning even if it is locked, you can get the keycard. It is on someone that is in the area, meaning you won’t have to go to Moonworks to unlock a door. When in Alex’s office, look at ground level in the left corner of his office. There might be some boxes in front of it, and here is the airlock.
When in Mizuki’s office, look behind the pile of boxes next to his desk. There is the airlock.
When in the airlock, if, instead of going straight, you turn, you will fall in the tram station. Hard to get there without GLOO if you want a way back.
Pytheas Labs
What I call the “lounge area” is the zone in front of the security booth. Once you pass the booth, on your way to the tram station, you will find at ground level (behind a corpse) an airlock. 
The teleconferencing room is the room next to Riley Yu’s office. Look at ground level in the far left corner of the room, and an airlock leading you to the toilet will be there. 
The labs themselves can be accessed via an atrium of sorts. It is the area from which you access the elevators and the escape pod bay too, the one with (usually) the big yellow tanks in the middle. 
Moonworks (WIP, vids missing)
There are airlocks, but in order to reach them you will need to climb. I have vids that should help you.
When you enter moonworks from the crater, you will have enter the decomissioned crater access. After the recycler and fabricator, you will be able to see on your left a engineer operator dispenser. Climb on it, and then turn right. You should find black pipes that you can walk on. From these pipes, you can get to the central mine by going right (and bypass the typhon gate entirely) but also get to airlocks!
Follow the pipes straight, and then on your left, you have access to an airlock, leading to tunnels. These tunnels show you two routes, one going to the escape pod foyer if you turn right. No need for the keycard or hacking skills!
Follow the pipes straight, and then on your left, you have access to an airlock, leading to tunnels. These tunnels show you two routes, one going to the escape pod foyer if you turn left.
Nice design to have a level with an alternative path that prevents you from touching the ground, considering that it is the only area where a moonshark spawns at level 3 of corruption!
Video showing those two paths here:
Not really an airlock, but once you enter this area from the tram, you will find at the terminal a part of the glass that is broken, behind the weird lockers. Go through the broken part, there is often some good loot (and mimics!) here, this is what I call “secret area”. However, you will find an airlock from this area to the hallway. You will find yourself in front of the security booth. Break the glass and you are back into the hallway. Breaking this glass first to enter from the airlock is possible and easy to do.
When in the central mine, you might be stuck because of the typhon gate leading to the tram station. On the right of the gate, you will find some rocks that are easy to climb, and lead to a window that is always broken. 
Remember that the breakroom window is also broken, you can get in from here if you clim more!
Crater
This spot is useful when you want to fly with Artax from the center of the crater to one if the three areas. Climb on the recycler in the control room, and then turn around: the only crater airlock (that I know of!)
