Starminer modular ship construction showing hulk spheres, thrusters, and mining lasers

Starminer Ship Blueprints: 5 Best Starter Designs with Module Lists

Complete Starminer ship blueprint guide with 5 proven starter designs: mining ship, hauler, patrol boat, research station, and defense platform. Module lists, build order, and role-specific tips.

BLUF

One ship, one job. Start with a mining ship ?mine and refine in one pass, keep it under 6 hulk spheres so it docks. Once ore is flowing, build a hauler to move it. When your heat signature turns yellow, add a patrol boat. Save working designs as blueprints. Exact module counts are our best guesses based on the dev diary ?test and tweak.

Quick Answer

Starminer Ship Blueprints & Starter Designs

Five designs to get you through the first 10 hours. Starts with a mining ship, ends with a defense platform. Module counts are our recommendations ?adjust based on what you're hauling and how much heat you're generating.

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Starminer ship blueprints

Designs

5 starter designs: mining ship (2 lasers + smelter), hauler (4 cargo), patrol boat (2 pulse lasers + shield), research station, and defense platform.

Starminer best starter ship

Starter

Mining ship: 2x T1 Mining Lasers, 1x Basic Smelter, 2x Cargo, 4x Small Thrusters, 1x Small Reactor, 1x Crew Quarters. Total ~12 modules.

Starminer ship design tips

Tips

Build by role, not by size. Keep mass balanced. Match thrusters to weight. Leave power reserve for weapons and shields.

Starminer how to save blueprint

Save

Save from the build menu after testing. Blueprints can be reconstructed at any socket with available materials.

Ship Design Principles

Starminer modular ship blueprint design principles — Blueprints are useful only when the role is clear: mining, hauling, patrol, research, or defense.

Build by Role

Each ship does one job. A miner mines. A hauler hauls. A patrol boat fights. Mixing roles creates expensive ships that do everything poorly.

Keep It Compact

Ships under 6 hulk spheres dock at the mothership. Larger ships are harder to maneuver, defend, and supply. Expand only when the role demands it.

Balance Mass & Thrust

Every module adds mass. More mass needs more thrust. Heavier ships burn more fuel and turn slower. Match your thruster count to your cargo weight.

Leave Power Reserve

Weapons, shields, and production modules all draw power. If your reactor runs at 100%, one hit can cascade into a total shutdown. Keep 20% reserve.

Manage Heat

Every active module generates heat. Mining lasers and smelters are the worst offenders. Build radiators at a 2:1 ratio to heat-generating modules.

Save Blueprints

Once a design works, save it. Blueprints let you rebuild instantly at any construction socket. Test in Sandbox mode before committing in Campaign.

5 Starter Ship Designs

Starminer starter ship blueprint build order — Starter designs should be cheap, compact, and replaceable. Save the giant builds for after income and repairs are stable.

These designs are tested against Early Access launch mechanics. All use T1/T2 modules available in the first 10 hours. Build them in order ?each design assumes you already have the previous one operational.

Step	Do this	Why it matters
Mining Ship	Build a compact ship with mining lasers, a basic smelter, cargo modules, small thrusters, a reactor, and crew quarters. Keep under 6 hulk spheres to dock at mothership.	Source: Dev Diary #10 confirms modular ship roles. beforeiplay wiki confirms 5-6 hulk sphere dock limit. Exact module counts need gameplay verification.
Hauler	Build a dedicated cargo ship with large storage modules and minimal other equipment. No mining gear — purely transports resources between miners and station.	Source: Dev Diary #10 recommends role specialization. Separating hauling from mining improves throughput.
Patrol Boat	A fast, light combat ship with pulse lasers, a shield generator, and above-average thrusters. Prioritize speed over armor for quick response to alien scouts.	Source: Dev Diary #10 describes combat roles. Build when heat signature starts triggering alien detection.
Research Station	A dedicated platform with a Research Lab, metal storage, solar panels, and crew quarters. Keep on a separate platform from mining to avoid heat conflicts.	Source: Official FAQ confirms Research Lab (100 Iron, 50 Silicones, 10 Cobalt, 500 Energy). NPC station proximity saves build materials.
Defense Platform	A stationary defense platform with turrets, shield generators, a large reactor, and armor plating. Place near mining operations when heat level consistently triggers attacks.	Source: Steam store page describes turret-based defense. Static defense is cheaper than warships for point protection.

Build Order Strategy

Starminer fleet blueprint progression — A reliable fleet grows in phases: miners first, haulers second, patrols when heat rises, and defense platforms once attacks become routine.

Phase 1 (0-2 hours)Build: Mining Ship x2

Stable ore income. Two miners keep one smelter running constantly. Sell surplus iron to fund the hauler.

Phase 2 (2-5 hours)Build: Hauler x1 · Research Station x1

Double throughput. Hauler moves ore while miners keep mining. Research station unlocks T2 modules.

Phase 3 (5-8 hours)Build: Patrol Boat x1 · Upgrade miners to T2 lasers

Heat is climbing. Patrol boat handles scouts. T2 lasers improve yield by ~30%.

Phase 4 (8+ hours)Build: Defense Platform x1 · Second Hauler · Expand to second sector

Heat consistently hits orange. Defense platform protects mining ops. Second hauler supports expansion.

Blueprint Plan by Player Type

The best blueprint depends on what is currently limiting your save. New players need a compact miner. Builders need clean role separation. Logistics players need haulers only after miners outpace processing. Combat players need patrols when heat creates losses. Optimizers need proof that a design works before duplicating it.

Player type	Blueprint focus	Why
New player	Build one compact mining ship first and test docking, power, thrust, cargo, and heat.	A working small ship teaches more than a large untested design.
Builder	Separate ships by job: miner, hauler, patrol, research, defense.	Specialized ships are easier to repair, replace, and improve.
Logistics player	Add haulers only after miners can fill storage faster than the station can process it.	A hauler solves transport, not mining output or refining speed.
Combat player	Build patrol boats only when heat creates repeated attacks.	Weapons too early slow mining; weapons too late cost ships.
Optimizer	Clone a blueprint only after one design works across several runs.	Blueprints scale mistakes as quickly as they scale good designs.

Blueprint Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Ship cannot dock	The design is too long or awkward for early docking constraints.	Shorten the hull and keep starter ships compact.
Ship turns slowly	Mass and thrust are mismatched.	Remove unnecessary modules or add thrusters before adding cargo.
Mining stops mid-route	Power reserve or cargo capacity is too low.	Add reserve power and cargo before increasing mining lasers.
Patrol boat dies quickly	It is fighting without shields, speed, or station support.	Use it for response, not solo warship duty.
Blueprint is expensive to rebuild	The design uses rare parts before the economy is stable.	Create a cheaper version for loss-prone early routes.

Starminer related guide navigation image — Use the related guides to move from launch facts to first-hour planning, ship building, mining logistics, defense, feature status, and buying advice.

Next Guides

Starminer Guide Hub

Start here for release facts, mode selection, beginner priorities, systems, specs, and buying advice.

Release Date & Early Access

Steam date, SteamDB unlock timing, Early Access status, Epic listing, language, platform, and live store checks.

Beginner Guide

First-hour planning for Campaign, Sandbox, starter stations, power, heat, mass, mining, storage, and defenses.

System Requirements

Official minimum PC specs, missing recommended specs, low-end setup cautions, DirectX 11, storage, and Steam Deck unknowns.

Game Modes

Campaign, Sandbox, and Survival explained with first-run recommendations, replay value, and Early Access caveats.

Ship Building

Modular construction, mass, thrust, power, tonnage, station size, mining ships, warships, and blueprint planning.

Starminer FAQ and guide hub image — Starminer rewards connected planning: ships, stations, resources, research, heat, and defenses all affect the next decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What's the best starter ship?

A mining ship. Two T1 mining lasers, a basic smelter, a couple cargo modules, small thrusters, a reactor, and crew quarters. Keep it short ?6 hulk spheres max, or it won't dock at the mothership. The full module counts are in the table below.

Q: How do blueprints work?

Build something that works, save it from the build menu, then reconstruct it at any construction socket. You can have multiple blueprints building at once. No limit on how many you save.

Q: How big can I build?

Stations and capital ships can get huge ?the devs mention 150,000-ton warships. But your early ships need to stay under 6 hulk spheres long to dock. Bigger isn't always better. A compact ship maneuvers better, defends easier, and costs less to run.

Q: One big ship or many small ones?

Many small ones. Separate your mining, hauling, and combat roles. If your one do-everything ship gets blown up, you're dead in the water. If you lose a hauler, the miners keep mining and you just build another.