Laser Mining

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Draft

This article is still being written and may be incomplete.

Uncertain: Yield balance, hotspot performance, and sell-price advice still need direct Live-game verification.

Status

Draft

Last reviewed

2026-08-24

Reviewer

Sythan

Game mode

Both

Version coverage

unspecified

Source quality

Research-backed draft using current mining loop and EDCD mining equipment data

Known uncertainty

Yield balance, hotspot performance, and sell-price advice still need direct Live-game verification.

EDFM // Mining

Laser mining uses mining lasers, collectors, and a refinery to turn asteroid fragments into cargo.

Laser mining is the most direct mining method: a ship fires mining lasers at a suitable asteroid, uses collector limpets to retrieve fragments, and relies on a Refinery to convert those fragments into cargo.

Draft: This article is still a work in progress and may be incomplete. You can help improve it by adding or expanding its content.

When to use laser mining

Laser mining is the simplest method to learn because the extraction tool, collection loop, and refinery loop are all visible and repeatable. It is a good first mining style when the commander wants to understand limpets, refinery bins, cargo planning, and asteroid prospecting before adding core or sub-surface timing mechanics.

Laser mining is not automatically the most profitable choice. Commodity prices, demand, hotspot quality, and ship fit all matter, so this page avoids permanent sell-station recommendations.

Equipment

For a basic laser-mining fit, focus on:

• Mining Laser — breaks ordinary asteroid fragments loose.
• Prospector Limpet Controller — reveals asteroid contents before time is spent mining.
• Collector Limpet Controller — retrieves fragments efficiently.
• Refinery — converts fragments into cargo.
• Cargo racks and limpets — provide both ammunition and space for the refined result.
• Detailed Surface Scanner — useful when choosing or confirming a mapped hotspot.

Equipment	Group	Slot / mount	Mining role	Methods
Mining Laser	Extraction hardpoint	Hardpoint	Breaks standard mining fragments from laser-mineable asteroid material.	—
Abrasion Blaster	Extraction hardpoint	Hardpoint	Breaks exposed surface deposits from an asteroid.	—
Seismic Charge Launcher	Extraction hardpoint	Hardpoint	Places charges into asteroid fissures for core mining.	—
Sub-surface Displacement Missile	Extraction hardpoint	Hardpoint	Extracts sub-surface deposits after a prospector identifies a usable deposit.	—
Pulse Wave Analyser	Scanner hardpoint utility	Utility-style hardpoint scanner in EDCD outfitting data	Highlights asteroids with notable deposits, especially useful when searching for core candidates.	—
Prospector Limpet Controller	Limpet controller	Optional internal	Analyses an asteroid's contents before mining and enables informed target selection.	—
Collector Limpet Controller	Limpet controller	Optional internal	Collects fragments, chunks, and canisters so the ship is not scooping by hand.	—
Refinery	Processing module	Optional internal	Converts collected mining fragments into whole tonnes of cargo.	—
Detailed Surface Scanner	Discovery scanner	Optional internal	Maps planetary rings to reveal hotspots for commodities that can be targeted while mining.	—
Cargo Rack	Storage	Optional internal	Carries limpets before mining and refined commodity cargo after mining.	—

Workflow summary

1. Map or travel to a suitable ring or hotspot.
2. Launch a prospector limpet at candidate asteroids before spending time on them.
3. Mine useful asteroids with mining lasers while keeping collector limpets active.
4. Watch refinery bins and cargo capacity so fragments do not block the process.
5. Before selling, check current market demand and prices rather than relying on old route advice.

Practical notes

• Launch collectors without targeting a single fragment unless a one-use pickup is intended.
• Keep some distance from the asteroid surface; limpets die quickly when they repeatedly collide with rock.
• A full cargo hold or blocked refinery can stop useful collection even while fragments are still floating nearby.
• Hotspots improve targeting, but every asteroid still needs to be prospected.

Related Field Procedures

• How to Laser Mine (Draft) — Extract surface fragments from asteroids with mining lasers, collect them with limpets, and refine useful commodities.

Related Field Manual Entries

Mining Mining Laser Refinery Prospector Limpet Controller Collector Limpet Controller How to Laser Mine