How to Use a Prospector Limpet

Status: Draft
Last reviewed: 2026-08-24
Reviewer: Sythan
Game mode: Both
Version coverage: unspecified
Source quality: Procedure draft based on current mining limpet workflow and EDFM Mining metadata
Known uncertainty: Exact cockpit labels and prospector-yield edge cases still need final in-game verification.

Launch and read prospector limpets to identify asteroid contents before committing time and collector limpets.

Use this procedure whenever a mining run needs to choose worthwhile asteroids instead of extracting blindly.

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

Before you start

Fit and power a Prospector Limpet Controller.
Load limpets into cargo before leaving a station or carrier.
Decide what the run is looking for: a commodity, a core asteroid, sub-surface deposits, or general learning practice.
Keep enough distance from the asteroid that the limpet has a clear path.

Procedure

Select a candidate asteroid visually, by hotspot position, or by the search pattern for the chosen method.
Point the ship so the prospector limpet has a clear launch path.
Launch one prospector limpet at the asteroid.
Wait for the limpet to attach and complete its scan.
Read the asteroid contents, deposit information, and any method-specific signals shown by the prospector result.
Decide whether the asteroid is worth mining before deploying collectors or spending ammunition.
Move to another asteroid if the contents do not match the run's goal.

The procedure is complete when the commander has a prospector result and has either committed to mining the asteroid or moved on deliberately.

The limpet misses or dies: slow down, face the asteroid more cleanly, and avoid launching into nearby rock.
The asteroid has low-value contents: skip it; the prospector is doing its job by saving time.
The controller will not launch: check module power, fire group assignment, available limpets, and whether another active prospector is already using the controller's capacity.
Collectors are launched too early: prospect first, then collect after the asteroid is worth working.

How to Find a Mining Hotspot (Draft) — Travel to a mapped ring hotspot, drop into the ring safely, and begin prospecting inside the target area.
How to Laser Mine (Draft) — Extract surface fragments from asteroids with mining lasers, collect them with limpets, and refine useful commodities.
How to Sub-surface Mine (Draft) — Extract sub-surface deposits from asteroids with displacement missiles and collect the released chunks.
How to Use a Prospector Limpet (Draft) — Launch and read prospector limpets to identify asteroid contents before committing time and collector limpets.