Ship mining: the complete activity guide

📥 Download : the one-page guide · the quick sheet (mobile)

Find a rich rock, crack it with your laser, extract the ore, then refine and sell it.

Ship mining is Star Citizen’s industrial gateway: a Prospector is enough to make a living solo, and a MOLE pushes earnings up with a crew. You scan rocks, keep your laser power inside the green zone, crack the rock and pull in the richest fragments.

Since patch 4.10, ore quality (0 to 1000) stays attached to the commodity: high-quality ore sells for more and feeds contracts and crafting that require a minimum quality. Refining is still the key to profit: raw ore is often worth two to three times less than refined.

Open the tool in Beacon OPS

📋 At a glance

* Estimate based on player reports and recorded prices: check it in game, earnings vary with the patch, equipment and luck.

🔑 Requirements

• A mining ship (Prospector, MOLE or Golem), bought or rented
• A few thousand aUEC for modules and refining
• No reputation needed to mine freely
• Mining contracts unlock with reputation

🚀 Recommended ships

• MISC Prospector · Kit out ↗
• Argo MOLE · Kit out ↗
• Drake Golem

🧰 Recommended equipment

• A suitable mining head (Helix or Lancet to start, Pitman on the Golem)
• Passive modules to widen the green zone
• Gadgets (Sabir, OptiMax) for resistant rocks
• A multitool with a mining head for small rocks

🧭 Steps

1. Pick a spot : Open Beacon OPS, Mining tab: it shows where each ore spawns, its content and quality. Aaron Halo and Lagrange points are good starts.
2. Scan : Switch to scan mode (Tab), send a ping and look for signatures around 4,000 to 8,000: these are ship-minable rocks.
3. Analyse the rock : Get within optimal range and scan it: composition, mass, resistance and instability appear. Skip poor rocks.
4. Crack it : Raise power slowly and keep the needle in the green zone until the rock cracks. Ease off if it becomes unstable.
5. Extract : Switch to extraction and pull in the richest fragments. Leave inert materials behind.
6. Refine : Drop the ore at a refinery (Lagrange stations), pick the method and the station with a bonus on that ore.
7. Sell : Collect the refined ore and sell it at the best terminal: Beacon OPS shows the best prices and how old they are.

💡 Advanced tips

• Go for quality: since 4.10 it is kept and sells for more
• A three-laser MOLE cracks big rocks a Prospector cannot break
• Active modules (Surge, Brandt) help get past high resistance
• Sell Quantanium before it degrades
• Compare refinery bonuses by station in Beacon OPS

⚠️ Common mistakes

• Pushing power too fast and blowing up the rock
• Filling the hold with poor ore
• Forgetting to collect your ore at the refinery
• Selling raw what is worth three times more refined

☠️ Risks

• Unstable rock: overcharging makes it explode and damages your ship
• Quantanium degrades in the hold, sell it fast
• Pirates in Pyro’s belts and Lagrange points
• Disconnects (30k): unsold cargo is lost

💰 Profitability

Very good solo and excellent with a crew on a MOLE. Earnings mostly depend on the ore you target (Quantanium, Taranite, Bexalite), its quality and the refinery bonus you pick.

Sources : timesaver.gg · uexcorp.space

❓ FAQ

Which ship should I buy first?
The MISC Prospector: solo, stable and simple. Move to the MOLE when you play with others.

Should I refine?
Almost always: refined ore is worth two to three times more, at the cost of some waiting time.

Why did my rock explode?
Power stayed above the green zone for too long (overcharge) or the rock was very unstable.

Where do I sell for the best price?
Check the Mining tab in Beacon OPS: it ranks terminals by price, with the age of each report.

📖 Read also : Star Citizen guide #13: mining 101 (hand, ROC, Prospector, refining)

📚 All activities · Updated on 2026-11-01 · Star Citizen 4.10