Star Citizen Alpha 4.8 Q&A: Ship Hangar Services and Command Module

Ship Hangar Services T0 is the first implementation of field-based logistics — the ability for large ships with dedicated service bays to repair, refuel, and restock any ship or vehicle that lands inside them. Until now, this kind of full servicing was only available at landing zones and stations. T0 brings it out into the verse.

All three services draw from real resources on the host ship's cargo grid. Refueling consumes hydrogen and quantum fuel. Repair consumes RMC. Rearming consumes ammunition, missiles, and countermeasures. Nothing is conjured from nothing — if the host ship hasn't stocked the right supplies, it cannot service the right needs. To support this, shops across the verse now carry new countermeasures and ammunition commodities, and missiles can now be stacked on cargo grids. Cleaner storage for stacked missiles is in development.

T0 is the functional baseline — ships can cycle in and out of service bays continuously with no cooldown between operations. What it does not yet include is any monitoring capability, permissions management, or pricing control. For now, services are free and open to anyone who lands in an authorised bay.

In practical terms, this means cooperative play is the primary use case at launch. Org fleets and groups running operations together will get the most from T0. The more sophisticated tooling — the ability to set prices, restrict access, and manage your inventory in real time — is confirmed for future iterations, but what's live today is already a significant step forward for fleet coordination.

The launch roster covers: all Aegis Idris variants, the RSI Polaris, the Origin 890 Jump and 600i, the Anvil Carrack, the MISC Starlancer TAC, and the Drake Ironclad Assault. More ships will follow.

All supported ships at launch offer the same full range of services — repair, rearm, and refuel. There is no partial support in the T0 roster. If your ship is on the list, it can do all three.

For T0, the interface and procedure are intentionally identical to what players already know from landing zone hangars. You must be in your vehicle and have landed in the bay to access the landing app — the same interaction model as at any station. CIG have kept the T0 experience familiar by design, reducing the friction of a new system.

The meaningful difference is location. Being able to repair, rearm, and refuel in the middle of an operation — without pulling a ship out of the fight to run back to a station — changes the tactical picture considerably, particularly for extended multi-phase operations like Tactical Strike Groups.

Services are selectable individually. Repair is all-or-nothing — insufficient RMC means no repairs occur. Refuel fills both tanks either to full or by a specified amount. Restock replenishes ballistic ammo, countermeasures, and missiles — ammo must match weapon size, and loaded missile racks can only be topped up with the exact same type. Empty racks accept any missile of the correct size.

An 'All Services' quick-select button was planned for T0 but did not make the cut. Each service must be selected individually at launch.

Near-instant at T0. There are currently no wait times between landing and being fully serviced, which makes fleet turnover fast in the current implementation. CIG have confirmed that wait times will be introduced in a future patch, scaled to the amount of resources consumed — a full repair and rearm will take longer than a quick fuel top-up.

Currently there is no defined cap — the only limit is the physical space available in the bay. If it fits, it gets serviced. There is no queue system at T0. Both of those will change: future development will introduce per-bay vehicle limits with a queue for ships waiting for a slot to open.

This is a genuine fleet logistics role that rewards preparation. Before an operation, the logistics coordinator needs to understand the fleet they are supporting — which ships are in the group, what ammo sizes they use, what missile types are loaded, and how much RMC and fuel a sustained operation will burn through. RMC and fuel are universal across all ships. Ammo and missiles are not — they vary by loadout, which means the support ship's cargo grid needs to reflect the actual fleet composition, not just a generic stock.

Once underway, the role involves purchasing, loading, monitoring, and maintaining the right supplies in the right quantities. As monitoring tools are added in future iterations, this becomes a dedicated bridge role with real operational weight.

At T0, services are entirely free. There is currently no interface for host ship operators to set pricing, so CIG made the deliberate decision to keep everything at no cost to enable cooperative org play without financial friction.

The full vision is a dedicated Service Terminal giving operators complete control over pricing and permissions — different rates for org members versus strangers, approval workflows for unknown players, and the ability to lock portions of inventory away from service use.

Yes. Players who trespass aboard a ship are automatically blocked from accessing its services. This matters in contested or PvP environments where hostile players might land in your bay looking to exploit your supplies. The system is aware of who belongs and who does not, even at T0.

The full feature is considerably more powerful than what launches in 4.8. The planned Service Terminal will enable permissions management tied to social relationships, pricing per relationship type, approval workflows for unknown players, real-time inventory monitoring, and the ability to lock stock away from service use. Players will also gain control over how much ammo and how many missiles get restocked per request rather than always filling to maximum. Wait times based on resource consumption will make turnaround feel proportional to the work being done. More ships will be added to the roster over time.

The Command Module is a detachable ship that serves as both the command and pilot station for the host vessel when docked, and a fully independent escape and combat vehicle when separated. It has been part of the Drake Caterpillar's design promise for years — Alpha 4.8 finally delivers it. The module also comes to the Drake Ironclad and Ironclad Assault as part of the same release.

When connected, the Command Module assumes control of the host ship's systems — power allocation, management functions, and more are all handled from inside the module rather than from a fixed bridge. When detached, both ships become fully independent, each operated by its own crew.

Once separated, the Command Module operates as a standard independent ship — it can fly, quantum travel, and engage in limited combat thanks to its weapons loadout. It is not built for sustained fighting, but it is not defenceless either.

When docked, its own systems are suspended and it takes over management of the host ship instead. Detaching hands those functions back to any remaining crew on the main hull, and both vessels operate entirely separately from that point. The practical applications range from tactical command retreats to leaving cargo operations running while the captain handles business elsewhere.

The module is slightly larger than the original Caterpillar concept to accommodate the combined crew requirements of both the Caterpillar and Ironclad lineups in its escape vehicle role. All internal components are fully physicalized and accessible. There is a functioning ground entrance ladder. Every drop seat has personal storage integrated into its base. Bunk beds are retained. The module carries the spirit of the original concept but has been built to current ship standards — which means it is a significantly more detailed and functional object than the original design ever specified.

Not at this stage. The Command Module is currently compatible only with the Drake Caterpillar and the Ironclad series. There is no universal docking capability in the current implementation — it is purpose-built for the Drake lineup it ships with.

Not currently. There is no signature relationship between a detached Command Module and the main ship it came from — once separated, the module appears as an independent vessel with no identifying link back to the host hull. CIG have flagged this as something they want to explore in the future, so the tactical cover a detached module provides may not be permanent.

Yes. If a hostile player makes it aboard your ship and reaches the Command Module, they can detach and fly it away. Leaving a Caterpillar or Ironclad unattended or with insufficient crew security creates a real opportunity for someone to walk off with your most valuable detachable asset. Crew discipline and ship security matter at least as much as the module's capabilities.

The system has been substantially simplified. Fuel nozzles no longer take damage — a frustration that affected the reliability of extended operations. Flow speeds are now adjustable through item customization. Fuel pods remain closed by default, must be opened manually before fueling begins, and then close automatically once the receiving player confirms their purchase.

The overall process is now automated from the moment the correct pod is open. Flow speed is defined by the nozzle, with the fuel pod type applying a modifier on top — giving operators meaningful control over transfer rate.

Previously only one party could initiate a docking request. Now both the fuel giver and the fuel receiver can send the request, which removes a coordination bottleneck that made arranging refueling rendezvous unnecessarily awkward.

Once a docking request is accepted and ships close to the appropriate distance, autodocking initiates automatically — the receiver docks onto the fuel giver's hull. The manual approach and alignment phase is removed from the process entirely.

An introductory contract is immediately available with no reputation requirement — a new faction offers the first refueling job to any pilot who wants it. Beyond the introduction, contracts involve supporting NPC ships across the verse. Piracy is a real possibility depending on the star system. Higher-ranking contracts may require players to bring protection, making refueling a career that intersects with combat escort as it develops.

Yes, after completing the introductory contract. Multiple refueling contracts can be accepted and run simultaneously — useful for efficient route planning when several NPCs need fuel in the same region of space.

Yes — contracts that require fueling multiple ships exist, making group runs not just viable but appropriate. A coordinated team with multiple refueling vessels can cover more ground and handle larger contracts faster than a solo operator.

Payment comes from two sources. The NPC being refueled pays a set rate for the fuel delivered. Upon successful completion, the United Wayfarers Club provides an additional completion bonus on top. The dual-source structure means a completed contract is worth more than just the fuel value — the Wayfarers bonus rewards the full successful job.

Beacons allow stranded players to call for help rather than waiting passively. Activating a beacon from the pilot seat — with no active crimestat — signals an NPC refueling ship to respond. The NPC arrives, quotes a price, and begins fueling once accepted. If the player is in active combat when the NPC arrives, it departs without fueling — the system does not put support ships into danger.

Player-to-player beacons are confirmed for a future update, turning refueling into a reactive, emergent service role.

As organised fleet gameplay scales — Tactical Strike Groups being the current example — the demand for fuel support during sustained operations only grows. Capital ships burn through reserves quickly, and pulling a fighter out of an engagement to refuel costs the team dearly. A dedicated refueling specialist who keeps the fleet fueled in the field is a direct force multiplier.

Refueling contracts will expand to cover more ship types and new equipment for your own vessel. When player-to-player beacons come online, the role shifts from contract-following to on-demand response — answering urgent calls from stranded pilots anywhere in the verse.

The Novian Crossbow occupies a niche nothing else in the verse currently touches — a precision, stealth-capable weapon that hits harder than anything else stocked while making almost no noise doing it. It is lightweight for its damage output, has a best-in-class sway profile for fast target acquisition, and rewards pilots who can read projectile physics rather than relying on hitscan consistency.

Where conventional weapons compete on rate of fire, ammo economy, or reliability, the crossbow competes on single-shot impact and stealth. It is the weapon of choice for players who want to operate quietly and remove targets before anyone knows where the shot came from.

Frontier settlers and hunters have kept crossbows in use for centuries because they can drop large game quickly and quietly without alerting the surrounding area. When special operations forces started bringing them on covert strikes for the same reason, UltiFlex saw the market and produced their own version — the Novian — built from modern materials and designed to be equally at home infiltrating an enemy stronghold as it is hunting on a wilderness planet.

The result is a weapon that looks anachronistic but was chosen deliberately for what it does better than any alternative: operate without announcing itself.

Multiple variants can be unlocked for crafting via a blueprint available through Tactical Strike Groups rewards — making TSG not just tactically relevant but the gateway to the patch's most distinctive new weapon. Blueprints can also be found through loot pools across the verse.

Players who took part in the Shroud of the Avatar promotion have a special variant waiting for them — check Spectrum for claim instructions.

The Novian currently carries the highest alpha damage of any stocked FPS weapon in the verse — capable of one-shotting players wearing heavy helmets in its current iteration. CIG note this is subject to ongoing balance tuning, but the intent is clear: one well-placed shot ends an encounter.

The trade-off is significant: the crossbow also has the harshest projectile drop and lowest projectile speed of any stocked weapon. Range shooting requires reading drop and compensating for travel time — it rewards players who have done the work to understand its behaviour.

More versatile than the slow projectile speed might suggest. At long range, it rewards players who can accurately compensate for drop and lead time — and a clean hit is a one-shot kill that conventional rifles cannot replicate. At close quarters, best-in-class hipfire makes it a serious option even in tight engagements. In skilled hands it operates effectively at any range. In less experienced hands, the physics demands will expose its limitations quickly.

Yes. A single headshot can drop another player even in a heavy helmet, courtesy of the crossbow's high alpha damage and minimal damage drop-off. These values are subject to ongoing tuning as player usage data comes in, but the design intention is that a cleanly placed headshot is lethal regardless of armour tier.

Stealth is the defining advantage. The Novian Crossbow is exceptionally quiet — it affects NPC audio perception in the same way a suppressor does, making it significantly harder for enemies to identify where shots are coming from. No other FPS weapon in the current arsenal offers this. For stealth operations, infiltration runs, or any scenario where maintaining position after firing matters, the crossbow provides a tactical edge that raw damage numbers alone cannot capture.

Bolts shatter on impact — there is no retrieval. Every shot is a single-use consumable, which makes ammo management a real consideration in extended engagements. Default bolts are available and craftable. Additional bolt variants are planned for the future.

Yes, the crossbow is fully functional in zero-G and EVA. Gravity affects projectile drop — heavier gravity demands greater compensation, lighter gravity reduces the need. In zero-G, the bolt travels on a flatter trajectory than it would planetside. Players who understand how the weapon behaves across different gravity environments will find it remains effective in all of them.

The Kastak Arms plasma grenade is Star Citizen's first area-denial utility — a fundamentally different category of tool from anything previously available in FPS combat. Where conventional grenades deliver a single burst of damage and clear their area, the plasma grenade creates a persistent hazard zone that forces enemies to make a decision: move or take sustained damage.

This changes how chokepoints function. A corridor, doorway, or room that was previously a challenge to control becomes controllable. The grenade does not kill instantly — it applies pressure. Enemies who hold position die slowly; enemies who move expose themselves.

Standard grenade stock locations across the verse. No specialised source, no reputation gate. If you can find grenades, you can find plasma grenades — CIG say they are well stocked and broadly available.

The plasma grenade creates a significant hazard area that deals sustained damage for its duration — enemies caught inside cannot simply absorb the hit and continue. Anyone who does not move will not survive long. Exact values will be tuned as the game develops, but the design principle is clear. The hazard zone is large enough to matter and dangerous enough to command respect.

The grenade detonates on contact, which means placement accuracy directly determines effectiveness. A grenade that lands centrally does considerably more work than one dropped at the edge of a group.

Contact detonation means throw placement is everything. The goal is landing the grenade in the centre of where your targets are. The strongest applications are tight-space scenarios: corridor chokepoints, rooms with limited exits, station corridors during FPS boarding operations. In any environment where enemies cannot easily sprint away from the hazard zone, the plasma grenade delivers sustained, compounding pressure that no conventional grenade matches.

Hand-thrown only at launch. CIG have confirmed plans to expand hazard-creating gameplay further — additional utility gadgets are in development — but no specifics on alternate deployment for the plasma grenade itself have been shared yet.

Detonating a plasma grenade near ship components risks damaging them — in a game with engineering gameplay and component-level damage, that is a meaningful threat. A plasma grenade in an engineering bay or near critical systems is not just a danger to crew, it is a danger to the ship itself.

The more significant implication is coming in a future update: CIG have confirmed the plasma grenade is intended to create fire hazards inside ships, adding a new dimension to shipboard combat. The engineering team responding to a fire triggered by a hostile grenade while the rest of the crew is under attack is exactly the kind of multi-layer situation that makes Star Citizen's FPS combat distinct. That mechanic is not live yet, but it is targeted and confirmed.