SpaceCraft: How to Find Resources – Mining Bureau, Scanning and Why You Can't Find Iron (2026)

Can't find resources in SpaceCraft, not even iron? It's almost never a shortage: iron is a tier 1 resource, and the game simply doesn't explain how searching works. A resource detector on your ship locates deposits, the Scanalyzer identifies a sample, and only identified resources can be mined with your laser.

"I fly from planet to planet and find nothing, not even iron." That's the most common complaint from new SpaceCraft players. This guide covers the right way to search, including the one thing almost everyone trips over early on.

⚡ Quick Check

• Scarcity isn't the problem. Iron is a tier 1 resource; Iron Deposits spawn alone or in clusters with other ores.
• Locate: the Crude Resource Detector is a ship radar module with a 9 np range, not a handheld scanner.
• Identify: the Scanalyzer Alpha analyses a sample. Mining lasers only work on resources identified this way.
• Mining Bureau: a quest line, not a resource catalogue. Quest MB#04 sends you to an iron or copper deposit.

🔭 How Searching Works: Locate, Then Identify

Two modules work together. The detector shows you where something is. The Scanalyzer tells you what it is, and that unlocks the deposit for mining. New players often skip the second step and wonder why their laser does nothing.

The Detectors

All detectors are external ship modules in the radar category. You start with the simplest one and upgrade through permits:

• Crude Resource Detector: 9 np range, your starting module.
• Simple Resource Detector: 12 np range, unlocked with the Electromagnetism permit.
• Spectral Resource Detector: identifies known resources from a long distance.
• Mimetic Detector: 50 np range from exploration level 4. Give it a sample and it locates nearby deposits containing the same element.
• Gravitron: a special detector for gravite.

The Scanalyzer

The Scanalyzer Alpha (scan tier 3) is unlocked with the Modular Systems permit. The Scanalyzer Beta (scan tier 7) requires exploration level 2 and is crafted from a Scanalyzer Alpha. If a node only shows "[???]", your scan tier is usually too low for it. Players report that higher tier nodes need a better Scanalyzer and later a better mining laser as well.

💡 Why You Can't Find Iron

This is the sticking point behind most frustrated forum threads. Iron isn't rare: the Iron Deposit is a tier 1 resource, and tier 1 nodes like Ferric Stone also yield iron. If you still come up empty, it's almost always one of these:

• Range too short: 9 np on the starting detector isn't much. Fly further or upgrade to the Simple Resource Detector.
• Not identified: without the Scanalyzer, your mining laser can't work the deposit.
• Quest ignored: Mining Bureau quest MB#04 "Deposit Location" explicitly asks you to locate an iron or copper deposit, approach it and scan it.

Rule of thumb: detector = where, Scanalyzer = what, laser = only after both. Once that clicks, the "I can't find anything" problem is solved for the rest of the game.

🏛️ The Mining Bureau

The Mining Bureau is a quest line. MB#02 "Full Survey" has you explore planets, and MB#04 "Deposit Location" guides you to an iron or copper deposit, where you craft and deploy a Beacon and then return its key to the Bureau. The Bureau also sells the locations of Restricted Areas.

📍 How to Find Resources on a New Planet, Step by Step

1. Check your detector: is a resource detector installed on your ship and powered?
2. Fly to the planet and head for the deposits your radar picks up.
3. Get close and scan: identify the sample with the Scanalyzer.
4. Mine: only now fire up the mining laser.
5. "[???]" instead of a name? Your scan tier is too low. Unlock the Scanalyzer Beta or look for a different deposit.

This order sounds simple, but it's the difference between "I can't find anything" and a full cargo hold.

📦 More Than Ore: What Else You Find While Exploring

When you explore, you don't just run into material nodes. There are two other rewarding types of finds that many players overlook:

• Restricted Areas. You can discover them or buy their location at the Mining Bureau. They reward you with Data Disks and experience points.
• Ship wrecks. Map locations with loot crates. Wrecks contain the Black Box, which the quest "SDR#01: Shipwreck Data Recovery" asks you to bring to a buyer.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about SpaceCraft Find Resources

Why can't I find iron in SpaceCraft?
Usually the starting detector's 9 np range is too short, or the sample wasn't identified with the Scanalyzer. Iron is a tier 1 resource, and quest MB#04 leads you straight to an iron or copper deposit.

What's the difference between a detector and the Scanalyzer?
The resource detector is a radar that locates deposits around you. The Scanalyzer identifies the composition of a sample. Only after that can your mining laser work the deposit.

Are there orbital, ground and subsurface scans?
No. Scan tiers in SpaceCraft belong to the Scanalyzer: tier 3 for the Alpha, tier 7 for the Beta.

Which detector has the longest range?
The Mimetic Detector with 50 np. It requires exploration level 4 and a sample of the element you're looking for.

What do Restricted Areas give you?
Data Disks and experience points. You can find them yourself or buy their location at the Mining Bureau.

🔗 What's Next

Once you've found your first rich deposit, the logical next step is building your own base next to it. For the farming side of your base, see our guide to Spacekorn and the Xenic Farm.

And as soon as your cargo hold is full, you'll want to turn that ore into credits and pay off the heavy starting debt as quickly as possible.

If your ship struggles to haul everything you mine, take a look at our SpaceCraft ship building guide.

As of: October 2026, SpaceCraft Early Access (Shiro Games). Detector ranges, scan tiers and quests can change with patches.