Reviewed September 12, 2026. Blueprint locations and material routes are labelled where they rely on launch community reports.
Build a small, usable orbital base before committing to a large design. The important first milestone is claiming the space, placing a dependable arrival area, and checking the route back to your ship. Once those work, expand around them.
Cosmos adds the Deep-Space Base Computer for orbital claims, including empty space and asteroid platforms. This guide focuses on that construction route; for taking over an existing inhabited station, use space-station ownership.
Get the correct blueprint
Launch players report finding the Deep-Space Base Computer blueprint at the Construction Research station on the Space Anomaly, in the technology section near the save-point blueprint. Another thread reports a cost of 5 Salvaged Data, and also describes receiving the blueprint from a habitable-asteroid interaction.
Our recommendation is to inspect that research menu before beginning a resource hunt. Check whether you already know the blueprint, whether you have received a deployable item, and what the current recipe requests. Those are different states; learning the name of a technology is not proof that you can place it yet.
If you have not reached the Anomaly, follow the beginner and returning-player guide first. It gives you a more useful next objective than searching for advanced construction ingredients during the opening repairs.
Gather the three reported materials
The launch recipe uses one Reactor Core, one Viral Heart, and one Condensed Stellar Ice. The table below combines the published recipe with player reports of the corresponding salvage locations. Check your in-game recipe before processing a rare object.
| Ingredient | Reported place to look | Our preparation advice |
|---|---|---|
| Reactor Core | A space hulk, around its protected central structure | Learn the extraction and return route before disturbing surrounding pieces. |
| Viral Heart | An infested outpost, within the large organic growth | Identify the target object before dismantling nearby material. |
| Condensed Stellar Ice | Processed Comet Fragments from a comet nursery | Keep a suitable fragment for the construction requirement. |
Players describe moving physical salvage to an outpost processor to obtain the inventory material. A loose object being held by the Gravitino Coil is not yet the same thing as the finished ingredient in your inventory.
Our suggested collection order is whichever safe, understood route you already have available. Do not cross several systems chasing a theoretical fastest order. Record each finished ingredient as it reaches your inventory, then reserve it for the computer so it is not accidentally sold with the rest of a haul.
For the equipment and physical-cargo workflow, read space-hulk salvaging. For supported crafted supplies, use the crafting-material calculator; the game's recipe remains the reference for new Cosmos construction parts.
Choose a site around the way you will use it
Our recommended first site has a view you like, a straightforward approach, and enough open room to understand where each part will go. Inspect the area from more than one direction before deploying anything valuable.
Choose the base's main job before drawing its outline:
- Personal retreat: prioritise the view and a compact arrival room.
- Salvage stop: prioritise a clear route between arrival, storage, and the supplies you use on each trip.
- Group meeting place: prioritise a recognisable entrance and open circulation.
- Large creative build: complete one representative room before copying its proportions across a much bigger structure.
Avoid deciding the final size from a single distant camera angle. A base that looks balanced from space may feel cramped at an interaction point or confusing when approached on foot.
Check which build mode is active
A missing computer in the build menu does not necessarily mean that the blueprint was lost. One launch player found that standing near a Corvette opened the ship-decoration context; switching build modes exposed the expected construction options. Another report resolved placement by entering the new spacewalk context from a non-Corvette ship.
Our troubleshooting order is:
- Confirm the correct blueprint or deployable item is present.
- Inspect the active building category and any on-screen mode-switch prompt.
- Check your position relative to the ship and the intended orbital site.
- Try the intended space-building context before buying another blueprint or gathering duplicate materials.
Use your own control prompts rather than copying a keyboard shortcut from another platform. These reports are useful checks, not a promise that every placement issue has the same cause.
Finish the first useful room
After claiming the site, our recommendation is a modest arrival area with one obvious route into the base. Add the essential interactions you intend to use, then test each one before concealing it behind furniture or decorative walls.
Walk the full route in both directions. Check doorways, sight lines, the space around interactable objects, and how easily you can return to the ship. If you install a teleporter, test an actual departure and return before treating that route as finished. Keep the immediate surroundings of the computer and arrival point clear while you do this.
Next, place one sample of any unfamiliar part and inspect its connections before producing a large repeated structure. Patch 7.01 fixed geometry issues with new base pieces; check your installed version if a connection looks wrong.
For a shared project, agree on the main entrance, the intended expansion direction, and who is building each area. A brief agreement prevents two attractive rooms from occupying the same space. Return to the No Man's Sky hub for the next construction or exploration guide.