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Liquid resources are a distinct category of materials in SpaceCraft, introduced by the developer as their own system with dedicated collection, storage, and crafting. They work differently from the solid resources covered on Mining and Resources.

Types of Liquids

The first two liquids players encounter are Water and Sulfuric Acid. The developer has said the range of available liquids will expand as development continues.

Collecting Liquids

Liquids are found in geysers scattered across planetary surfaces. As with any resource, the first step is to scan the geyser to identify it. You then wait for the eruption and position your ship directly in the geyser’s jet, using a ship module called the Hose Pump to collect the liquid during the brief eruption window.

The developer has outlined further collection methods planned for later updates: immersing a ship into lakes of liquid to extract larger volumes more quickly (at the risk of damaging the ship), and a structure called the Deep Geo Pump that would automatically collect liquids from underground deposits, similar to how extractors gather solid resources.

Storage and Logistics

Unlike solids, liquids need dedicated storage. On ships they are held in tanks; on bases they are kept in large cisterns. Each tank or cistern holds only one type of liquid, so collecting both Water and Sulfuric Acid on the same trip means fitting at least two separate tanks. Within a base all cisterns are automatically connected so liquid flows between them, and the Landing Pad handles the transfer between a ship’s tanks and the base’s cisterns.

Moving liquids between different bases is harder. Automated shuttles cannot carry liquids at all. The options are to bottle the liquid for shuttle delivery, or to fly it manually in a ship fitted with the right tanks. Bottling uses a structure called the Bottling Plant: you craft empty bottles, fill them with the desired liquid, and can then store and move them in normal solid containers. Bottling is more flexible for logistics but less space-efficient than dedicated tanks. See Automation and Logistics and Base Building.

Crafting With Liquids

To craft with liquids you build a Chemical Factory. One example recipe the developer has shown is the Vanadium Battery, which combines Sulfuric Acid, Vanadium, and Graphite into an advanced battery module that significantly increases battery life in dark environments such as deep space or the dark side of a planet, where solar panels cannot recharge a ship’s battery. Sulfuric Acid can itself be made by combining Water and Sulfur, and Sulfur can be extracted back out of Sulfuric Acid for use in explosives and other advanced materials. The developer notes that only a handful of recipes use liquids for now, with more planned. See Crafting.

Early Access Status

Liquids were introduced during the playtest, and the developer has stated that both the range of liquids and the number of recipes that use them will be expanded as development progresses. Treat specific structures and recipe contents as subject to change.