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Exploration and FTL Travel - Version 6 vs Version 7
Jun 3, 2026, 02:09 PM
Removed duplicate in-body wikilinks
Jun 13, 2026, 07:09 AM
Updated galaxy scale to the confirmed Early Access launch wording and post-launch tense
11Exploration is one of the core pillars of SpaceCraft. The universe is immense, with thousands of solar systems and planets to discover, and you are free to explore it.2233Real-Time Flight4455You pilot your spaceship and maneuver through space in real time, seamlessly transitioning from the depths of space to the surface of planets. There are no hard breaks between flying in space and approaching a world, so travel and exploration feel continuous.667788The Scale of the Galaxy9910-The universe is described as a shared, persistent galaxy made up of 20 sectors at the Early Access launch, with hundreds of star systems and thousands of planets to discover. That scale is what makes exploration open-ended: there is always another system to chart and another world to scan. As an evolving Early Access game, the exact extent of the galaxy can grow over time as new sectors and planets are added.10+The universe is described as a shared, persistent galaxy that, at the Early Access launch, spans multiple sectors, hundreds of star systems, and thousands of planets to discover. That scale is what makes exploration open-ended: there is always another system to chart and another world to scan. As an evolving Early Access game, the exact extent of the galaxy can grow over time as new sectors and planets are added.11111212What You Will Find13131414Systems are brimming with points of interest to investigate:151516161717Planets with natural resources ready to be scanned and exploited.Asteroid fields rich in raw materials.Abandoned space stations to investigate.Derelict ships drifting between the stars.18181919Faster-Than-Light Travel20202121To cross the vast distances between systems, SpaceCraft uses Faster-Than-Light technology. FTL lets you cover great distances in an instant, jumping between distant systems with ease. This is how you move from one explored system to the next as you push outward into the galaxy.22222323Scanning24242525Exploration and resource gathering go hand in hand. As you explore and scan new systems, you reveal valuable resources to extract. Scanning your environment is the first step before you mine, so you know where to point your tools. See Mining and Resources for how extraction works.262627272828Why Explore29293030Exploration feeds every other system. New systems mean new resources to mine and craft, new markets to trade in, and new sites for Corporations to expand their logistics. A better ship lets you explore farther, which in turn fuels a larger operation.31313232Seamless Atmospheric Entry33333434Movement between space and planets is continuous. In open space the game uses a universal up and down to keep navigation clear, but on entering a planet’s atmosphere the ship’s orientation has to match that planet’s gravity. A buffer zone gradually shifts the up direction during descent so the transition stays smooth, and leaving a planet is even more seamless since the ship is already facing the sky. You view flight in third person, switching to first person once you are on foot or inside buildings.35353636Planets and Landmarks37373838Each planet has its own character: a planet has a single biome with different landmarks, and those landmarks can hold rarer, more concentrated resources. Because each world has its own resource set, exploration is partly about choosing which planets to visit for the materials you need. See Mining and Resources.39394040Fueling FTL Jumps41414242Faster-Than-Light jumps draw on a dedicated Mag-Plasma (Magnetic-Plasma) reserve on your ship, separate from the battery that powers other modules and recharges in sunlight. Managing that reserve is part of planning long-distance travel. See Ship Building.