Ship Mining

Best for

• Prospector solo
• MOLE crew mining
• Golem starter mining
• resource collection for Wikelo

Minimum equipment

• Mining ship such as Prospector, MOLE, Golem, or current equivalent
• Mining laser/head appropriate to ship — crafted heads are worth more in 4.9 than before
• Optional mining modules
• Optional mining gadgets
• Hauler for refined cargo if mining ship cannot sell efficiently

Steps

1. Stanton Quantainium loop — Mine Quantainium for refined sale or Wikelo supply
2. HUR-L1 mixed-value asteroid mining loop — Mine a range of profitable ores instead of only chasing Quantainium

Avoid

• Do not fill cargo with inert material unless you have no better option.
• Do not overcharge volatile rocks.
• Do not commit to a long refining method (high yield, low speed) if you need the cargo space back soon.
• Do not fly refined cargo without checking sell demand.

Route templates

• Stanton Quantainium loop
  Go to:
  • Lyria
  • Cellin
  • Daymar
  • Clio
  • Calliope
  • Aberdeen
  • Aaron Halo / Mining Base asteroid route
  Objective: Mine Quantainium for refined sale or Wikelo supply
  Start: Nearest refinery-deck station
  Steps:
  • Spawn and claim mining ship at a station close to the target body.
  • Repair, refuel, and confirm empty ore pods.
  • Fly to chosen moon or asteroid belt.
  • Enter scanning mode.
  • Ping with Tab to reveal mineable signatures.
  • Approach promising signatures.
  • Enter mining mode with M.
  • Scan rock composition, mass, resistance, and instability.
  • Skip low-value rocks unless you need filler material.
  • Prioritize Quantainium if the rock can be fractured safely.
  • Enter fracture mode.
  • Activate laser at low throttle.
  • Raise throttle slowly until rock energy rises.
  • Keep energy in the green zone until fracture completes.
  • Avoid overcharge, especially on high instability rocks.
  • Switch to extraction mode.
  • Extract purple/extractable fragments only if worth cargo space.
  • Return to refinery deck or sell raw if time/risk demands it.
  • If refining, start a refinery work order and pick a refining method (Cormack/Dinyx/Gaskin/etc. trade off speed, cost, and yield).
  • Transport refined cargo to Area18, Orison, New Babbage, or Lorville CBD/TDD.
• HUR-L1 mixed-value asteroid mining loop
  Go to:
  • HUR-L1 asteroid field
  Objective: Mine a range of profitable ores instead of only chasing Quantainium
  Start: HUR-L1 Green Glade Station
  Steps:
  • Spawn at HUR-L1 or route to HUR-L1.
  • Use the refinery deck as your operational base.
  • Mine nearby asteroids.
  • Prioritize Gold, Bexalite, Taranite, and Laranite for value.
  • Collect Copper/Tungsten if you are building toward Wikelo ATLS Orange Line or crafting.
  • Return to the HUR-L1 refinery deck.
  • Sell raw or refine.
  • Haul refined cargo to a major TDD/CBD.

Whats new in 4 9

• Mining laser power increase
  Confidence: medium
  Detail: Base ship mining laser power is up roughly 20% in 4.9; crafted mining laser heads can add up to ~40% more on top, so Prospector/Golem can now threaten rocks that used to be MOLE-only, and MOLE crews get faster target selection and stronger break control.
• Long-range scanning overhaul
  Confidence: medium-high
  Detail: 4.9 lets you identify mineral clusters from much farther away than before, then narrow the scan angle to confirm a specific rock is worth approaching before committing fuel/time. Re-scanning after a fracture also reveals the resulting fragments' composition before you extract, so you can skip low-value fragments.
• "Support the Miners" mission pack
  Confidence: medium
  Detail: A new Nyx-system mission chain from Recco Battaglia / the People's Alliance adds prospecting, mining, recovery, salvage, and investigation contracts, with exclusive blueprints and unique Golem/Prospector/MOLE livery variants as rewards.