Ports of the Galaxy: Helios, Vega, Altair, Orion, and Perseus
The galaxy has five starting ports, each with its own specialization, markets, and workshops, and you should compare them by live orders rather than by starting prices.
Contents
What It Is and Why It Matters
Ports differ in what they sell, what they buy, and which recipes they accept. The numbers below describe the starting world as of November 6. Compare ports by live orders, not by these values.
| Port | System, region | Security | Population | Belts | Recipes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helios Port | Helios, Core Reach | 0.92 | 120,000 | 3 | 4 |
| Vega Station | Vega, Foundry Belt | 0.74 | 80,000 | 5 | 13 |
| Altair Exchange | Altair, Market Rim | 0.80 | 450,000 | 2 | 3 |
| Orion Industrial Hub | Orion Gate, Orion Frontier | 0.55 | 12,000 | 1 | 2 |
| Perseus Watch | Perseus Anchor, Perseus Outer Reach | 0.31 | 4,000 | 1 | 2 |
Security describes the place. There are no attacks in the game.
Helios Port
The starting port. Belts: Helios Iron Belt, Helios Copper Seam, Helios Aluminium Shelf. The port authority sells iron, titanium, fuel, steel, electronics, and machine parts. The cheapest fuel at the start is produced here. The workshop accepts copper and aluminium and assembles Conductors and Lightweight Frames.
Vega Station
The main industrial port: 13 of the 20 recipes are accepted only here. Belts: silicon, chromium, sulfur, nickel, titanium. Steel and both circuit types are made only at Vega. Most industrial goods are bought here as well.
Altair Exchange
The most populous port and a major buyer of raw materials and steel. Belts: Altair Lithium Seam and Altair Carbonaceous Field. At the start it holds the largest stock of Machine Parts. The workshop accepts lithium and carbonaceous ore and assembles Energy Cells.
Orion Industrial Hub
A frontier station with the Orion Copper Belt. The workshop repeats the Helios copper chain. At the start the order book holds only Refined Copper, Conductors, and fuel, and fuel here is sold only, at 14, with a stock of 20 units. Ore is not bought locally. Orion is the starting point for surveys of the Rigel Drift, Mintaka Shelf, Bellatrix Well, and Hatysa Arch systems.
Perseus Watch
The most distant port, with low security, linked only to Altair: distance 14, risk 0.32. The belt is Perseus Lithium Drift; the workshop repeats the Altair lithium chain. At the start the order book holds only Refined Lithium, Energy Cells, and fuel at 16, with a stock of 16 units. Surveys of the Kepler Margin, Saiph Hollow, Alnilam Veil, and Tabit Reach systems start from here.
Routes
| Route | Distance and fuel | Risk | Courier, world hours | Bulk Hauler, world hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helios Port ↔ Vega Station | 6 | 0.05 | 3 | 6 |
| Helios Port ↔ Altair Exchange | 12 | 0.18 | 6 | 12 |
| Vega Station ↔ Altair Exchange | 7 | 0.1 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Helios Port ↔ Orion Industrial Hub | 8 | 0.22 | 4 | 8 |
| Vega Station ↔ Orion Industrial Hub | 9 | 0.14 | 4.5 | 9 |
| Altair Exchange ↔ Perseus Watch | 14 | 0.32 | 7 | 14 |
What's Next
Ask the deputy:
"Draw a map of the ports and routes with distance and risk."
The deputy builds the diagram only from the server's response. For more on systems without a station, see the article on the galaxy map; for fuel, see the article on travel.
Checked against the game server code: 2026-11-06. Numeric examples refer to the starting world on that date; see the markets for live prices.