How to find Space Stations in No Man's Sky

In this guide, we explain where to find No Man's Sky Space Stations and how to use them.

In No Man's Sky, you will find a Space Station in every interstellar system you visit. These Space Stations act as hubs for you to go about trading items, learning alien languages, upgrading your kit, and even more. They're pretty important on the whole when it comes to progressing with the story or getting to know the other aliens across the galaxies.

With No Man's Sky available on the Nintendo Switch, check out some material guides to help as you traverse the galaxy on a new platform - here's where to find Cadmium, and Paraffinium, and how to increase your ship's storage.

How to find No Man's Sky Space Stations

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You will find one Space Station in each interstellar system that you warp to. They typically tend to orbit a planet in the system, and will be marked by an orange hexagon icon on your HUD when you're flying around space.

As you approach, you will see the 3D hexagonal shape that Space Stations take the form of. You'll also find that you'll only be able to enter the Space Station from one side of it, which will be marked by a glowing blue light on the surface of it. Approach this, and you will safely land in the station!

It's also important to note that you should not shoot Space Stations. This'll attract the attention of Sentinels, who will then try to shoot you back!

What to do at Space Stations

When you arrive at a Space Station in No Man's Sky, your ship will land on a runway that is located between two strips of merchants and terminals. Other travellers – aliens – will land on the same runway too. You can speak to them at their ships to negotiate trade deals.

As for the Space Station itself, it's split up unto two sections on either side of your ship, both of which include merchants and terminals for trading or customisation. We describe each of these below:

Galactic Trade Terminal

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The Galactic Trade Terminal in No Man's Sky is ideal for some quick trading. You can use the Terminal to purchase materials or resources you need, or alternatively can use it to sell the ones you don't need in exchange for Units.

Teleporter

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The Teleporter in No Man's Sky can be used to transport to any other Teleports placed across galaxies. For example, you can teleport directly to your first base even if you are multiple galaxies away, so, getting these set up is vital to make the most of your space exploration.

Mission Agent

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The Mission Agent in No Man's Sky is exactly what it sounds like. By speaking with them, you can undertake missions across interstellar systems. This could require you to take down space pirates, deliver items, or anything in between. Taking on missions is a great way to gather resources and units.

Cartographer

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Cartographers in No Man's Sky are used for purchasing Planetary Charts, Settlement Charts, and other useful maps for navigating space. To purchase most of these, you will need Navigation Data. However, you can purchase random maps using Nanites, too.

Envoy

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There are three main guilds in No Man's Sky: the Merchant's Guild, the Explorer's Guild, and the Mercenaries Guild. Each guild is associated with a different alien race and focuses on a different goal, such as research or combat. By speaking with the Envoy at a Space Station, players can earn rewards from these guilds, provided that they have a good reputation with them beforehand.

Scrap Dealer

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The Scrap Dealer is a merchant where you can trade all of your scrap or tainted metal for other resources. These resources typically include decorative items for your character, or other materials.

Exosuit Research

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The Exosuit Research Technology Merchant in No Man's Sky is where you can go to purchase upgrades for your Exosuit. This includes upgrades to your Exosuit's storage, amongst other upgrades, such as Shields and Life Support.

Exocraft Research

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The Exocraft Research Technology Merchant in No Man's Sky is exactly what you'd expect. By speaking with this merchant, you can choose to upgrade your Exocraft vehicles using Nanites.

Starship Research

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The Starship Research Technology Merchant in No Man's Sky is where a player can discuss modifying and upgrading their Starship, specifically it's technology. For example, here is where you can upgrade your Hyperdrive. If you're looking to increase your Starship's storage, however, you'll need to visit the Starship Outfitting Terminal.

Multi-tool Research

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The Multi-tool Research Technology Merchant in No Man's Sky is where you can visit to upgrade your Multi-tool. You can upgrade the combat and mining options of your Multi-tool, making it more powerful.

Starship Outfitting

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The Starship Outfitting Terminal is an area in which you can upgrade your Starship. From this terminal, you can upgrade your storage capacity using Units, or upgrade the class of your Starship with Nanites. Additionally, if the ship at hand serves no purpose any more, you can melt it down into scrap metal, too.

At the terminal, you may also receive Storage Augmentation as a result of scrapping Starship remains, or can use previously found Storage Augmentation to upgrade the storage slots of your current Starship.

Appearance Modifier

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The Appearance Modifier Terminal in No Man's Sky is where a player can go to customise the look of their character. You can change almost everything from body type, to race, to the armour that your character is wearing.

That's all you need to know about finding and using Space Stations in No Man's Sky. As you explore more interstellar systems and build unique bases, why not check out getting a pet companion to accompany you? Alternatively, we talk about how to get a free freighter here.