SpaceCraft FTL Unlock: Why Your Ship Won't Jump (2026)
To unlock SpaceCraft FTL you don't need a dedicated permit: the FTL Engine - Eco comes with Exploration level 1. You craft it in the Workshop, install it at the Shipyard, fill up on Mag-Plasma and jump. The starter quests OP#03 to OP#06 walk you through exactly this chain.
๐ Why your ship won't jump
You've built an FTL drive, you press the jump key, and nothing happens. That's the most common wall in early SpaceCraft. It's almost never the drive itself but a step around it: a crafted module isn't the same as an installed one, and without Mag-Plasma for the shield, the jump ends in damage.
If you've landed here, you've probably already found your first resources and put your ship together. SpaceCraft FTL is the next big step out of the starting system.
๐ The SpaceCraft FTL chain at a glance
The road to your first jump follows The Company's starter quests. Quest names are given as spacecraft.tools lists them:
| # | Step | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buy the Modular Systems permit (40 credits) | unlocks Scanalyzer Alpha, Small Module Kit, Wire and Nut and Bolt |
| 2 | Craft the Scanalyzer Alpha and install it at the Shipyard | 1 Small Module Kit, 4 Nut and Bolt, 2 Wire |
| 3 | OP#03: Exotic Resources: find, scan and mine Quartz | detector and Scanalyzer |
| 4 | OP#04: Exploration: reach Exploration level 1 | unlocks the FTL Engine - Eco through Superluminal Travel |
| 5 | Electromagnetism permit (100 credits) and craft a Crystalline Focuser | 1 Quartz, 5 Wire |
| 6 | OP#05: Trading: buy Silicone Gel from The Company Exchanger | 10 Silicone Gel according to the quest data |
| 7 | Craft the FTL Engine - Eco | 1 Small Module Kit, 1 Crystalline Focuser, 7 Wire, 2 Silicone Gel |
| 8 | Install and confirm the engine at the Shipyard | the station's Shipyard |
| 9 | OP#06: Interstellar Travel: fill up on Mag-Plasma and jump | Mag-Plasma for the shield |
โ๏ธ Step by step
Scanalyzer Alpha: crafting isn't installing
This is the rule most people get stuck on. You craft the Scanalyzer Alpha in the Workshop. After that it sits in your inventory and does nothing. According to the developer blog "First Steps 4", you drag it onto the hull at the Shipyard and confirm the change. Only then can you scan. The same rule applies later to the FTL engine.
Finding and mining Quartz
With the Scanalyzer installed, you look for Quartz for OP#03. It comes from Gray Quartz. Locate it first, then identify it with the Scanalyzer, then mine it with the mining laser. The laser can't work unknown nodes.
Crystalline Focuser: the Wire trap
From 1 Quartz and 5 Wire you build the Crystalline Focuser, unlocked through the Electromagnetism permit. Common blocker: you're out of Wire. You need it everywhere, so always keep some copper on hand for more.
Building and installing the FTL Engine - Eco
The engine itself doesn't depend on a permit but on the exploration unlock Superluminal Travel, which you get at Exploration level 1. OP#04 leads you right there. With the Crystalline Focuser, Silicone Gel, Wire and a Small Module Kit you build the FTL Engine - Eco in the Workshop. Then the same rule again: install it at the Shipyard and confirm.
Mag-Plasma: the shield for the jump
Mag-Plasma doesn't propel your ship; it feeds the FTL engine's protective shield. According to the tutorial "Faster-Than-Light Travel", you aim at a nearby star, hold the key for "Travel" and use the mouse wheel to choose how much Mag-Plasma to commit. Use too little and, according to the game text, the jump almost always ends with costly damage. The Eco engine has its own storage for 200 liters of Mag-Plasma.
๐งญ SpaceCraft FTL checklist before your first jump
Before you jump for the first time, go through these points. Whenever SpaceCraft FTL doesn't work, it almost always fails on one of them:
- Exploration level 1 reached, so the FTL Engine - Eco recipe is visible?
- Crystalline Focuser, Silicone Gel, 7 Wire and a Small Module Kit in your inventory?
- Engine installed at the Shipyard and the change confirmed?
- Enough Mag-Plasma in the engine to power the shield during the jump?
- Ship weight under 300 tons, the Eco engine's weight limit?
If all of that checks out, FTL is unlocked and your first jump works. After that it's worth looking at better engines and Mag-Plasma tanks.
๐ก Common blockers at a glance
- "The Scanalyzer does nothing": it's crafted but not installed and confirmed at the Shipyard.
- "I can't build the Crystalline Focuser": usually Wire or the Electromagnetism permit is missing.
- "The engine recipe is missing": you haven't reached Exploration level 1 yet.
- "The drive is there, but the jump causes damage": too little Mag-Plasma chosen for the shield.
- "I can't get into a sector": every sector requires a certain exploration level.
โ FAQ: SpaceCraft FTL
Which permit do I need for FTL?
None for the engine itself; it comes with Exploration level 1. For the ingredients you need Modular Systems (Wire, Small Module Kit) and Electromagnetism (Crystalline Focuser).
Where do I find Quartz?
At Gray Quartz. Identify it with the Scanalyzer first, then mine it.
How do I refill Mag-Plasma?
Players fill up at space stations. Since Major Update #1 you can also order Mag-Plasma with a Mag-Plasma tank at the nearest station.
How much Mag-Plasma does a jump need?
According to the game data, the Eco engine costs 0.5 liters per distance (L/np). More in the fuel guide.
๐ What comes next
After your first jump you reach new systems and Raqmu station, where the quest "Space Base 101" leads you to your first base. Better engines come with Exploration level 4.
As of October 2026, SpaceCraft Early Access v0.5.25674. Checked against the quest and recipe data on spacecraft.tools, our SpaceCraft database (unlocks), the in-game tutorial, the developer blog "First Steps 4" and the patch notes for Major Update #1.
