Open the radar (V) — look for rocks with quantanium / laranite / bexalite signatures. Reject low-mass rocks unless cargo is critical: ROC > 5,000 t · Prospector > 10,000 t · MOLE > 30,000 t.
Switch to mining mode (M). Watch the resistance + instability bars. Hold POWER between the green band — too low = slow; too high = rock cracks and gemstones eject. Lancet (precision) · Hofstede (heavy) · Helix (charge).
Once fractured to chunks (~50–200 t each), switch to extraction mode. Aim at highest-yield fragments first. Cargo is the bottleneck: 96 SCU on Prospector · 192 SCU across MOLE's two pods.
QT to nearest refinery. Most outposts and Lagrange stations don't refine — only HUR-L1, ARC-L1, MIC-L1, CRU-L1 plus a few surface ones. Refining takes hours-days depending on method.
Refined ore commands 20-40% premium over raw. Cross-reference TRADING for current top buyers — they shift weekly with market sims.