SpaceCraft Permits: What to Unlock First (2026)
Which SpaceCraft permits you should unlock first depends on your current bottleneck: Modular Systems opens the start, Cargo Accommodation solves space problems, and Personal Factory and Automated Factories build your automated base. So always buy the permit that's holding you back right now, not just the next one on the list.
๐ง The permit tree is only part of progression
The permit menu (P key) looks like a normal tech tree. You buy permits with credits once you meet the requirements. Next to that, though, there are unlocks through Exploration, Science and Technology experience that cost no credits.
So the key rule of thumb is: buy the permit that solves your current bottleneck, and check first whether the missing recipe even depends on a permit. This guide sorts the important SpaceCraft permits by when they pay off.
๐ The key SpaceCraft permits and when to buy them
Prices and contents come from the spacecraft.tools game database (v0.5.25674):
| Permit | Cost | Unlocks, among others | Buy it when โฆ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular Systems | 40 | Scanalyzer Alpha, Small Module Kit, Wire, Nut and Bolt | โฆ you start the tutorial, it's the first permit |
| Cargo Accommodation | 100 | Small Cargo Hold, Metal Sheet, lights | โฆ storage space becomes a problem |
| Electromagnetism | 100 | Simple Mining Laser, Simple Resource Detector, Magnetic Coil, Crystalline Focuser | โฆ you want to mine and locate better |
| Electric Motors | 150 | Motor, Concrete, Flywheel Battery | โฆ you need Motors and Concrete for your base |
| Personal Factory | 300 | Construction Tool, Base Deploy Kit, Extractor, Smelter, Pylon, Cable | โฆ you want to claim your first base |
| Automated Factories | 450 | Drones, Warehouse, Assembler, Landing Pad, Drone Dispatcher | โฆ your first Extractor-Smelter loop is running |
| Modular Systems 2 | 2,000 | Cargo Hold, Hi-Pi Laser, Module Kit, Strong Metal Sheet | โฆ the Small Cargo Hold and starter tools aren't enough anymore |
๐ฏ The order that works
If you follow the natural flow of the game, you get a clear chain:
- Modular Systems first, the tutorial leads you there.
- Cargo Accommodation and Electromagnetism once space or mining slow you down. Both are prerequisites for Electric Motors.
- Personal Factory when you want to automate your base.
- Automated Factories after the first running loop.
- Modular Systems 2 as the first real midgame step, expensive but worth it.
To leave the starting system, by the way, you don't need a permit: the FTL Engine - Eco comes through the exploration unlock Superluminal Travel. More in the FTL guide.
๐ซ What you can skip for now
The most common beginner mistake is buying permits by "unlocks something new" instead of by bottleneck. Above all:
- Modular Systems 2 too early: only once your cargo and base start is stable. Before that, you're just tying up credits.
- Cosmetics like Ship Coating and Brand Management (50 credits each), while you're still stuck in the core loop.
- Expensive hull permits like Very Light Alloys or Advanced Frames (30,000 credits each), before you've maxed out steel and titanium.
โ ๏ธ Not every missing recipe is a permit problem
Sometimes you have credits and materials, and the recipe is still missing. Then it depends on another unlock:
| Hurdle | Example from the game data |
|---|---|
| Lab study | Xenic Oil only after the study Spacekorn Seed II |
| Science experience | Xenic Farm at Science level 4 (Xenic Adaptation) |
| Technology experience | "Grasshopper" Thruster at Technology level 3 (Combustion Engine) |
| Exploration experience | Scanalyzer Beta at Exploration level 2 (Advanced Spectrometry) |
| Discovery | Smelting recipes as soon as you find an ore for the first time |
| Blueprint | for example extra plate recipes from loot |
So before you sink credits into unnecessary permits, check whether a permit is really missing or one of these steps.
You gain experience along the way: Exploration experience comes from completed Restricted Areas and, since Major Update #1, from the Galactic Map item that merchants sell or that turns up as loot; Technology experience has come from your base's production since Community Update #1. Science experience comes from lab studies. If you keep an eye on these bars, you need fewer permits and save credits for the really expensive tiers.
๐ฐ Expensive permits: prices since the balance patch
If you later want to unlock bigger ships or factories, you pay a lot more. With the balance patch of June 26, 2026, Shiro Games lowered several expensive permits. Older guides often still list the old prices:
| Permit | Before | Since June 26, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Modular Systems 3 | 25,000 | 18,000 credits |
| Better Titanium | 10,000 | 7,000 credits |
| Advanced Frames | 50,000 | 30,000 credits |
| Very Light Alloys | 50,000 | 30,000 credits |
Major Update #1 on October 8, 2026 added more expensive permits, such as Remote Extraction 1 for Extractor Pods (10,000 credits), Remote Access for the Nexus Relay (2,000 credits) and Heavy Beam for the Giant Laser (60,000 credits). Only unlock these once your base and trading run steadily.
โ FAQ: SpaceCraft permits
Which permit first?
Modular Systems for 40 credits; the tutorial leads you there. After that, always by current bottleneck.
I have the materials but no recipe, why?
Check lab studies, Science, Technology and Exploration experience, and blueprints. Not everything depends on SpaceCraft permits.
Do I need a permit for FTL?
No. The first FTL engine comes through the exploration unlock Superluminal Travel.
Are corporation licenses the same thing?
No. Corporations have their own license tree and corpo permits, such as Corporate HQ or Fleet Capacity. They don't replace the normal permits.
Is Modular Systems 2 worth buying early?
No. Only buy it once your cargo and base start is stable.
As of October 2026, SpaceCraft Early Access v0.5.25674. Permit names, costs and unlock lists checked against the spacecraft.tools game database and our SpaceCraft database (permit tree), price changes against Shiro Games' patch notes. They can change during Early Access.
