SpaceCraft Fuel: Mag-Plasma, FTL Jumps and Tanks Explained (2026)

The most important SpaceCraft fuel is Mag-Plasma. It doesn't propel your ship, though; it feeds your FTL engine's protective shield on every FTL jump.

How much you need per jump depends on the engine, and tanks and patches get you more range. Since Major Update #1 on October 8, 2026, you can also order Mag-Plasma at stations and produce it yourself with the Cosmic Condenser.

⛽ SpaceCraft fuel: what Mag-Plasma really is

Deuterium, which some guides write about, doesn't exist in SpaceCraft. "Magnetic Plasma" is wrong too: the item is simply called Mag-Plasma. The in-game description calls it the fuel that made FTL jumps possible in the first place. It's a plasma resource with a base value of 0.2 credits per unit. You can't mine it from any source on planets or asteroids. Since Major Update #1, though, the Cosmic Condenser, a building from Science level 6, slowly produces Mag-Plasma in your base.

The function is what matters. The in-game tutorial "Faster-Than-Light Travel" explains: an FTL jump is dangerous, and the ship protects itself with the Mag-Plasma shield built into your FTL engine. That shield uses up Mag-Plasma. Before the jump you set with the mouse wheel how much you commit. If you use less than needed, the jump almost always ends with costly damage according to the game text.

🚀 How an FTL jump works

Stars close enough for a jump appear larger than those further away. You aim at the star and hold the key assigned to the "Travel" skill. Beforehand, you set the amount of Mag-Plasma for the shield with the mouse wheel. How to build and install your first engine is explained in our SpaceCraft FTL guide.

Two rules from the game text are worth knowing. Some routes carry a jump modifier that changes the jump and can make it harder. You have to discover these modifiers yourself. Also, the quadrant is split into sectors, and every sector requires a certain exploration level. Without that level you can't get in, no matter how full your tank is.

📊 FTL engines compared

How much fuel a jump costs is set by the engine. Every FTL engine has its own jump cost in liters per distance (L/np), a weight limit and its own storage for 200 liters of Mag-Plasma. The values come from the game data on spacecraft.tools:

You unlock the three class 2 engines through the exploration unlock Refined Superluminal Travel at Exploration level 4; no permit needed. You build the Eco engine in the Workshop from 1 Small Module Kit, 1 Crystalline Focuser, 7 Wire and 2 Silicone Gel. According to its description, the Support model can take several ships along at once. Which permits to get when is shown in the permits guide.

🛢️ Mag-Plasma tanks: more fuel on board

If the 200 liters in the engine aren't enough, install extra tanks. All three are ship modules. The two smaller ones come with the exploration unlock Plasma Containment at Exploration level 3, the big tank with Exploration level 6 according to Major Update #1. According to their descriptions, they also supply shield modules with Mag-Plasma through their connectors.

• Small Mag-Plasma Tank: 200 L, 500 SP System Requirements, made from a Small Module Kit and a Confinement Chamber in the Workshop
• Mag-Plasma Tank: 1,000 L, 2,000 SP
• Big Mag-Plasma Tank: 2,000 L, 3,000 SP, built in the Factory

Watch the System Requirements: a big tank eats a lot of your System Support. How to weigh SP against modules is explained in the ship design guide. One player in the Steam community calculates that a heavy engine with one small tank costs less SP than a mid-weight one with three tanks. That's a community calculation, not an official figure.

🧩 Patches against high fuel use

FTL engines have patch slots, and several FTL patches target your Mag-Plasma consumption directly:

• FTL Patch: Mag-Plasma I: −5 Mag-Plasma consumption, blueprint from loot level 5
• FTL Patch: Charted Skies I: −10 Mag-Plasma cost on known routes
• FTL Patch: Light Dodging I: +15 FTL damage reduction
• FTL Patch: Edge Explorer I: +1 exploration level for sectors

Most patches have higher tiers up to III. Since Major Update #1 you add patches without removing existing ones. More on sources and combinations in the patches guide. The Cosmic Navigator is worth it too: this FTL module unlocks route planning and comes with the exploration unlock Advanced Spectrometry at Exploration level 2.

🔋 Refueling: station, Landing Pad and Cistern

Players in the Steam community consistently report filling up their ship at a space station after installing the engine, before jumping. We deliberately don't give a fixed price because there's no official figure for it. Since Major Update #1 you can also order Mag-Plasma with your Mag-Plasma tank at the nearest station, according to the patch notes.

At your own base there are two buildings for it. According to the game text, the Landing Pad lets a ship dock and connect to the base's distribution system to transfer fuel or other liquids. The Mag-Plasma Cistern stores 2,000 liters of Mag-Plasma and also comes with Plasma Containment. Since v0.5.25674 it takes only 3 instead of 5 footprint points.

You can transport the fuel in bottles. The Bottling Plant fills 50 Mag-Plasma and a Confinement Bottle into a Mag-Plasma Bottle in 25 seconds, and unpacks it the same way. Bottles fit into normal cargo holds and are traded at the Trade Nexus.

⚡ Normal propulsion: power instead of SpaceCraft fuel

For flying within a system you don't need Mag-Plasma. The thrusters run on power. The "Cart Pusher" Thruster's description explicitly says it works without fossil, non-renewable fuel. Every thruster uses power, more when boosting, and generates heat while doing so.

Power comes from solar panels like the Small Solar Panel with 40 MA, batteries like the Flywheel Battery and, from Technology level 3 (Combustion Engine), the Small Fuel Generator with 180 MA. It burns carbon-based fuel and generates a lot of heat. Since Major Update #1 there's also the Isotopic Generator, which gives a little power without light or fuel.

🚫 Common fuel mistakes

• Engine installed, but the tank is empty: then the shield has no Mag-Plasma during the jump.
• Too little Mag-Plasma chosen with the mouse wheel: according to the game text, almost always costly damage.
• Ship heavier than the engine's weight limit: check the limit in the table before you stack cargo and modules.
• Targeting a sector with too high an exploration level: you won't get in there even with a full tank.

What happens if your ship is destroyed? Players on Steam report a towing fee to the chosen station, random inventory loss and repair costs. That's also a community observation, not an official figure.

❓ FAQ: SpaceCraft fuel

Can I mine Mag-Plasma?
No, it doesn't occur in any source. Since Major Update #1 the Cosmic Condenser slowly produces it in your base, and you can order it at stations. It's stored in the Mag-Plasma Cistern and bottled in the Bottling Plant.

What is Mag-Plasma used for?
For your FTL engine's protective shield during the jump. Before every jump you choose with the mouse wheel how much you commit.

What happens if I use too little Mag-Plasma?
According to the in-game tutorial, that almost always leads to costly damage to the ship.

Which engine uses the least?
FTL Engine - Light and Advanced FTL Engine - Solo at 0.25 L/np. The light model only has a 164.6 t weight limit, though.

How do I get more range?
With Mag-Plasma tanks (200 to 2,000 L) and patches like FTL Patch: Mag-Plasma or Charted Skies.

Do the normal thrusters need fuel?
No, they run on power from solar panels, batteries or generators.

As of October 2026, SpaceCraft Early Access v0.5.25674. Sources: the in-game tutorial "Faster-Than-Light Travel", item data via spacecraft.tools, our SpaceCraft database, the patch notes for Major Update #1 and v0.5.25674, and player reports from the Steam discussions (marked as such). SpaceCraft is in Early Access, so values can change with patches.