Planetary Exploration
FSS and DSS exploration data
Build exploration data on a route by discovering systems, surveying bodies and mapping selected planets.
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
FSS and DSS exploration data
Unexplored or partially explored systems along a route; sell at Universal Cartographics after returning to a station or suitable carrier.
Before you go
- A ship with a Discovery Scanner, Full Spectrum System Scanner and Detailed Surface Scanner.
- A route through systems you can safely visit and leave.
- A station or carrier with Universal Cartographics for banking data.
- Odyssey is required only if you also intend to collect exobiology on mapped bodies.
Farming steps
- Enter a system and use the Discovery Scanner to reveal its system contents.
- Open the Full Spectrum System Scanner and sweep the frequency range to locate bodies not already identified.
- Review body types and biological signals, then select targets that suit your trip.
- For a chosen planet, use the Detailed Surface Scanner probes to map its surface.
- Check the system map for the resulting body information and any surface regions relevant to landing.
- Continue scanning systems while keeping track of unsold data and travel risk.
- Dock at a station or carrier that offers Universal Cartographics and sell the accumulated exploration data.
- Map selectively when a body is worth the probe time or supports another goal such as exobiology.
- Bank data before hazardous travel; death before sale can remove unsold exploration and biology data.
Repeat, collect and use
Repeat in each system on an exploration trip. Scanning a body already fully recorded may not provide the same discovery value; this is a continuing route activity rather than a repeatable payout from one body.
Common mistakes
- Using only the Discovery Scanner and expecting it to identify every body; use the FSS to resolve the system.
- Mapping every planet without considering the route; prioritize relevant bodies to keep the trip practical.
- Carrying valuable unsold data through avoidable danger; sell at Universal Cartographics when convenient.
When to stop or switch
Stop the current run when you have enough data to justify returning to a cartographics service, or switch to a new system if the current one has no useful unresolved targets.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.