System Colonisation Construction Guide

System Colonisation lets you, the Commander, claim an empty star system and build it into a real, permanent, inhabited part of the galaxy — a station, then a whole network of ports, settlements and installations that you designed and own.

For the entire history of Elite Dangerous, the inhabited galaxy — "the Bubble" — was static. Stations existed where Frontier placed them. You could shift faction influence, win wars, and fight Thargoids, but you could not create new infrastructure. That changed with the Trailblazers update (26 February 2025), which introduced colonisation as a player-driven way to make the Bubble grow for the first time.

The core loop is simple to state and large to execute:

1. Claim a system

   Pay a credit fee to claim an unpopulated system near existing space.

2. Drop the beacon

   Fly there and drop a Colonisation Beacon, which summons a giant Colonisation Ship.

3. Haul the list

   Ferry commodities — steel, composites, machinery, food, the lot — to that ship until a long shopping list is filled.

4. Become Architect

   Your first starport is built; you become the system's Architect.

5. Keep building

   From there: more ports, planetary settlements, mining outposts, research labs — each one shaping the system's economy, security, wealth and population.

It is, at heart, a logistics and construction activity wrapped around every other profession in the game. The hauling builds the bones; the choices you make about what to build decide what your system becomes — a mining hub, a tourist haven, a fortress, a trade nexus, or all of them at once.

Colonisation is the single largest piece of player agency Frontier has ever shipped. Your colonised system becomes a genuine, persistent feature of the galaxy: it shows on the in-game galaxy map and is catalogued by third-party services like EDSM and INARA. Other Commanders can fly to it, dock at it, trade and fight in it. Your Commander name is stamped on the system as its Architect, effectively forever — the Architect designation does not change hands even if a rival Power later seizes political control.

Who should care

Beyond the headline rewards, a finished colony pays off in ways tuned to how you play:

• A base tuned to your profession. Pick a system with good planetary rings and the Resource Extraction Sites are yours — for mining or for combat bounties; build the matching economy and the markets, missions and security/conflict states follow.
• A mission farm. Your founding faction generates missions. Keep it healthy via the BGS and you have a reliable source of combat, courier, trade and donation missions on tap — directly useful for any superpower's rank grind.
• A trade engine. Build complementary economies (e.g. Extraction + Industrial + High-Tech) and you create profitable supply/demand inside one system or across a small cluster of your colonies.
• Customisation. Facilities can be renamed (free random rerolls, or a custom name for 5,000 ARX) and starport paint jobs apply like ship liveries.
• Architect discount. Once a system you own holds 10+ installations, you get a 3% ship & outfitting discount there (architect only; stacks with Powerplay discounts).

Learn these terms and the rest of the manual reads easily.

The end-to-end procedure for your first colony. Read it all once before you claim anything — the early choices (which faction you buy from, which system you pick) are locked in and shape everything after.

1. Scout a target system first

   Open the Galaxy Map and look for an unpopulated system within roughly 15 light-years of existing populated space. (This range started at 10 ly in early beta and has been tuned upward; treat 15 ly as the working figure and confirm in-game.) Visit it and honk/scan it. In the system map you can see the preset primary-port location (a circled flag) and the count of available orbital and surface build slots before committing.

2. Choose where you buy the claim — this sets your faction

   Buy the claim at a Colonisation Contact in a station whose controlling minor faction is the one you want to found your colony. That faction is carried into your new system as its native, permanent controlling faction — and it sets your colony's superpower allegiance: Federation, Empire or Alliance (see Superpower Alignment).

3. Pick your primary port type & pay the claim

   You select the initial port: an Outpost (cheapest, medium pad, ~19k commodities), a Coriolis (large pad, ~54k), or a large Orbis/Ocellus (~209k). The registration fee is paid in credits — budget on the order of ~25 million CR; it varies with the port chosen. The claim then locks the system to you for 24 hours.

4. Fly out and drop the beacon (within 24h)

   Travel to the claimed system, fly to the flagged location, and launch the Colonisation Beacon via the Colonisation Suite. Miss the 24-hour window and the claim is revoked. Once dropped, the Colonisation Ship arrives — note the primary site can be hundreds of light-seconds from the arrival star, so factor in supercruise time per round trip.

5. Haul the commodity list to the Colonisation Ship

   Dock with the CS and open its construction panel to see the required commodities and live progress. Buy these from nearby populated markets and ferry them in. You have a hard deadline — about 28 days (≈4 weeks) — to deliver the entire primary-port list, or all progress is lost. Plan to begin only when you have the full window available.

6. Wait for the weekly tick

   When the last commodity is delivered, the port appears in a partially-built, services-offline state. It finalises at the next server maintenance tick (Thursday ~07:00 UTC). The Colonisation Ship departs, the beacon becomes a permanent nav beacon, and you are now the System Architect.

7. Expand at your own pace

   A Colonisation Contact now lives in your finished port. From the system map (orbital) or by flying to a surface site (planetary), you place new construction. Orbital ports carry their own ~28-day build timers; many surface settlements have no timer — handy for slow, chill building between other activities.

After the primary port, every build is gated by a points economy. This is the part new architects find confusing, so here it is plainly.

The three tiers

Costs that escalate

Base costs are 3 points for a T2 port (Coriolis, Asteroid Base) and 6 points for a T3 port (Ocellus, Orbis, Dodec, large planetary port). The first two large ports of each tier are charged at base cost; escalation begins at the third. From there T2 climbs 3 → 3 → 5 → 7 → 9 (3 + (n−2)×2) and T3 climbs 6 → 6 → 12 → 18 → 24 ((n−1)×6) for each subsequent port. The cost is charged when construction begins, not when it finishes. The climb is intentional — it pushes you to build out a supporting economy rather than spam mega-stations. Your primary port is exempt: it costs no points and doesn't count toward the climb.

The "go big first" shortcut

The first facility you place in a brand-new system never costs points — so you can make a Tier-3 station your primary port and skip the entire points climb. It's wildly resource-intensive (200k+ tonnes) and usually needs a squadron, but it's the move for a system you intend as a true capital with few build slots.

This is where colonisation becomes design. The facilities you place determine the system's economy, which determines what its markets trade, what missions appear, and what the system is good for.

How economy is set

• A fresh system with only a generic primary port shows the Colony economy — a placeholder "no specialism yet" state with a limited market.
• Each facility carries an economy influence toward one of nine specialisations — Extraction, Industrial, High-Tech, Agriculture, Military, Tourism, Refinery, Terraforming, Service (plus Contraband as a criminal special case). Build mining facilities → the system trends Extraction; build farms → Agriculture; and so on.
• Planetary body type matters. A Colony-type port inherits a base economy from the body it orbits or sits on — e.g. a rocky body leans Refinery, which (with the right surface port) is how systems produce CMM Composite, the notorious bottleneck commodity. Body features add a modifier on top: rings/belts push Extraction, organics push Agriculture, surface geologicals push Extraction + Industrial. Modifiers overlap rather than stack — an Extraction body with rings is still 100% Extraction, not 200%.

Body type → base economy (Colony-type ports)

Specialised ports (Industrial/Scientific/Military outposts, Asteroid Bases) ignore the body's base economy and set their own — only Colony-type ports inherit it.

The 2025 economy rework

Early colonisation economy maths was brutal — economies "cannibalised" each other and a careless mix could ruin a market. A 2025 patch (tied to the update 4.2 cycle) greatly simplified it: a market's top two economies are protected — their supply is calculated as if no other economy were present (ignoring demand from any third-or-lower economy), while only their demand is still netted normally. In plain terms — you can now run one or two strong economies side by side without them dragging each other down, so a mixed Extraction + Industrial system works. Design for one or two primary economies and keep any third minimal. (Community guides written before this rework can mislead you on mixing economies — weight older advice accordingly, and confirm the current behaviour in-game.)

Economy → profession map

Working figures for planning. Commodity totals are approximate and vary system-to-system; "trips" assume a ~784 t hauler (large engineered cargo ship). Treat these as planning baselines, not contracts.

Primary port options (your first build)

The first facility in a system carries a surcharge: roughly +16% (T1), +32% (T2), +20% (T3) extra commodities versus the same build placed later.

Tier-1 orbital outposts (each awards 1× T2 point, no point cost)

Surface settlements — the point engine (T2)

Large settlements are the efficiency play: pay one T2 point, get two T3 points back. Medium = 2× a small's commodities; large = 3×.

Key facilities by profession

Colonisation lives or dies on hauling efficiency. A Coriolis primary is ~69 trips in a big hauler; a T3 station is ~270+. Minimise distance and maximise cargo.

Fleet for the job

• The biggest dedicated haulers win. The working ranking is roughly Panther Clipper Mk2 > Imperial Cutter > Type-9 Heavy — the Cutter needs Imperial rank; the Type-9 and Type-8 need none.
• A Fleet Carrier is the force-multiplier: park it beside the source market or at the build site, pre-load it in bulk, then shuttle short hops. A carrier stripped to Rearm/Refuel/Repair-only frees roughly 24,070 t of cargo space ("metahauling"). Strongly worth it for any T2+ build.

Sourcing the commodities

The big-ticket items are Steel, CMM Composite, Aluminium, Titanium, and Ceramic/Liquid materials. CMM Composite is the classic bottleneck — and note the split: CMM and Ceramic Composites come only from a planetary refinery port, while Insulating Membranes come only from an orbital refinery, so a self-sufficient refinery system needs both. Until then, buy CMM wherever Refinery/Industrial economies sell it; the Trailblazer megaships also stock most colonisation commodities, including the planetary-only ones. Use a market finder (INARA-style tools) to locate high-supply, low-price sources close to your build site.

Time-savers worth learning

• Supercruise Assist drop trick: with SCA fitted, push to 100% throttle at the right distance and let it yank you out at the pad — shaves several seconds off every single approach, which adds up over 200 trips.
• Heatsink + fuel-scoop spool: pop a heatsink while scooping to spool the FSD and cut multi-jump times.
• Carrier ship-swap loop: keep two haulers in your carrier's shipyard right by the build site; load one, return, abandon-ship to respawn, swap to the second while the first transfers — halves landing overhead at awkward surface stations.
• Group up: any Commander can deliver to your construction site. Split commodity types across squad-mates and the haul collapses dramatically.

Your colony's permanent controlling faction is inherited from the station where you buy the claim — and that single choice decides which superpower your system answers to: its missions, the ship line you can buy at your own shipyard, and whose footprint you extend. Pick it deliberately; it can't be changed without re-claiming.

How alignment is set

1. Choose the founding station

   Find a populated station whose controlling minor faction holds the allegiance you want — Federation, Empire, or Alliance.

2. Buy the claim there

   That minor faction is carried into your new system as its native, permanent controlling faction — and it stays, even through later Powerplay shifts.

3. Inherit the allegiance

   Your colony now flies that flag: aligned missions, that superpower's ship line at your shipyard once you build the right ports, and a base from which to push its influence.

A secondary faction slot can be seeded by your squadron's aligned faction, if you fly in one. Independent NPC factions may also migrate in over time via the BGS.

Federation

A Federal founding faction makes the system Federal: Federal-flavoured missions, the option to push a Federal Power's influence, and — once you build the right ports — the Federal ship line (Dropship, Assault Ship, Gunship, Corvette) at your own shipyard. Those ships still require Federal Navy rank to buy and fly; a colony you control doesn't hand you rank, but a healthy founding faction is a reliable, controllable mission source to grind it on your own turf.

Empire

An Imperial founding faction makes the system Imperial: Imperial missions, the option to extend an Imperial Power, and the Imperial ship line (Courier, Clipper, Cutter) at your shipyard once the ports support it — again gated by Imperial Navy rank. The benefit mirrors the Federal case: a colony is a rank-grind engine you own, not a rank shortcut.

Alliance

An Alliance founding faction makes the system Alliance-aligned. The Alliance runs no Navy and no rank ladder, so there's no rank tailwind to chase — but Alliance ships need no rank either, so nothing is gated behind one. A colony is most useful here as BGS and Powerplay leverage: it plants or strengthens an Alliance presence in a system you shaped.

A concrete first-colony plan. The shape is the same whatever your priority — pick the economy focus and superpower allegiance that match how you play, then follow the order below.

System selection criteria (scout for all of these)

• At least one ring-bearing planet — ideally metallic/metal-rich rings. Rings give you RES sites (for mining and combat bounties) once live, and let you build an Asteroid Base.
• A landable rocky body — for surface settlements (your point engine) and a Refinery-lean port to self-produce CMM Composite.
• Generous build-slot count (check the architect view) — aim for roughly 10+ orbital and 10+ surface slots so there's room for your chosen economy plus its supporting facilities; avoid slot-poor 4-slot systems.
• Short primary-port distance — check how far the flagged primary site sits from the arrival star. A site hundreds of thousands of light-seconds out makes the whole build practically carrier-only.
• Something scenic if convenient (notable bodies / nearby nebula) — feeds a later Tourism layer for passenger work.
• Close to a source market of your chosen allegiance — keeps the founding faction the one you want and the haul short.

Suggested build order

1. Primary: Coriolis

   A large pad (so big ships dock and you can sell/rearm) at a manageable ~54k-tonne / ~69-trip cost. Buy it from a station of your chosen allegiance so the system is aligned from birth. A cheaper Outpost is fine for a faster first win, but the medium pad limits you.

2. Stack large surface settlements for points

   Drop 2–3 large surface settlements in the economies you want — each banks 2× T3 points while setting your economy mix.

3. Build your primary economy spine

   Run the settlement → installation → Hub chain for your focus (Military Hub for security/combat, Extraction Hub for mining, High-Tech or Refinery Hub for trade). The Hub is what pushes the system decisively toward that economy.

4. Add a second economy

   An Asteroid Base on your best ring (Extraction), or an Industrial/High-Tech port — viable now that the top-two economies don't cannibalise each other.

5. Layer Tourism + Refinery later

   A Satellite → Tourism settlement/installation opens passenger demand; a Refinery-lean surface port lets the colony make its own CMM Composite, easing all future builds. These are the "chill" no-timer surface builds.

6. Capstone: a T3 station when points allow

   Cash banked T3 points into an Ocellus, Orbis, or Dodec for the population/wealth/tech spike. By now your own Refinery output and Extraction markets shorten the haul.

• The 28-day primary clock is real. Don't claim before you can commit the time/cargo. Missing it loses everything delivered.
• Primary ports can't be demolished. Choose the type and location deliberately — it's permanent.
• Escalating point costs punish station-spam. Build supporting facilities (especially large settlements) before reaching for multiple big ports.
• Few build slots = no late T3. If you want a mega-station and the system is slot-poor, build it primary or pick a different system.
• Founding faction is locked at claim. Buy from a station of the allegiance you actually want; fixing it later means forfeiting the fee and re-hauling.
• Old guides predate the August 2025 economy rework. Economy advice written earlier may steer you wrong about mixing economies — they no longer cannibalise the top two.
• Surface ports/settlements can be far apart and far from the star. Build-site distance is a real time cost — scout the layout before committing.
• Solo builders can be sniped. A new construction site is yours alone for only ~30 minutes before it opens to your squadron (and then everyone). Form a one-person squadron before you place it to hold the full 24-hour window.
• Don't colonise for the money. Architect income is modest — on the order of ~1M CR/week even for a large system. The payoff is the system you built, not the salary.
• Visual bugs exist. A finished facility may render as a different model than you chose; the underlying data is what counts.

1. Target system

   Identified a target system within ~15 ly: rings present, landable rocky body, plenty of build slots, near a market of your chosen allegiance.

2. Allegiance

   Confirmed the claim station's controlling faction holds the superpower allegiance you want.

3. Port & budget

   Decided primary port type (Coriolis recommended for the large pad) and budgeted ~25M CR.

4. Window & hauler

   Cleared a 28-day window and prepped a bulk hauler (and Fleet Carrier, if available).

5. Material sources

   Located bulk sources for Steel, CMM Composite, Aluminium, Titanium close to the build site.

6. Construction tracker

   Set up Raven Colonial (or another construction tracker) before the first delivery.

7. Squadron

   Created a one-person (or team) squadron so your build sites aren't open to strangers after 30 minutes.

8. Build-order plan

   Plan banked: large surface settlements for points → your economy's Hub spine → a second economy → Tourism/Refinery later → T3 capstone.

9. Log it

   Logged the new colony in your Fleet Tracker once it goes live and the Architect title lands.

Claim deliberately, haul efficiently, build the economy before the showpiece — and you'll have a permanent system, aligned how you chose, with your name on it. Fly safe, Architect.