EXPLORATION / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE

Your first quantum trip, from map to landing

Plot a short route, recognize NAV and QT, diagnose a blocked departure, land with clearance and make the return trip.

Getting startedSolo; optional navigator and lookout11 min read

STEP 1 OF 10

Choose two stops, then plot the outward trip

Practise one short same-system trip and a return, with an inexpensive load. Start in a ship you can already launch and land. You finish when you can explain what the map selected, what the drive was waiting for and where you landed.

1
Name your two stops
SC Nomads practice plan
While safely parked, write down your starting port and a nearby serviced destination in the same system. Agree these names with anyone coming along.
What you should see
You can name both the outward stop and the place you intend to return to.
What this means: A successful return teaches a reusable route before contracts, cargo and deadlines compete for your attention.
That did not happen
If the destination is unfamiliar or the trip includes a jump point, choose a shorter exercise first.
2
Find the intended destination
Separate controls: F2
mobiGlas > Map > search
Search its name and select the correct result. Compare the body and location names. Wheel zooms; left-drag rotates; right-drag pans.
What you should see
The selected place matches your written destination.
What this means: Selecting a place identifies it; the next action commits the route.
That did not happen
Similar names are not interchangeable. Recheck the result before plotting.
CIG How to Quantum Travel, updated 12 Jun 2025; checked 14 Oct 2026
3
Read the route before accepting the trip
Map > Route to this Location
Choose Route to this Location. Read the right panel for Quantum Fuel and the number of legs.
What you should see
A plotted route and its requirements are visible.
What this means: Several legs mean several travel stages, not one uninterrupted journey.
That did not happen
No route? Check the selection and your ship context. Keep this separate from a drive that will not engage.
CIG How to Quantum Travel, updated 12 Jun 2025; checked 14 Oct 2026

Quantum-capable ship you can already launch and landHydrogen and Quantum FuelUndersuit, helmet, food and water for the planned stopNames of the starting port and intended destination

Nomad’s field note

Latest known keyboard/mouse defaults, checked 14 October 2026. Hold timings use CIG 4.9 LIVE input data compared with 4.10 PTU; saved bindings can differ. This is source research, not a live gameplay test.

Read the complete guide as text

The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.

Choose two stops, then plot the outward trip

Name your two stops

SC Nomads practice plan

While safely parked, write down your starting port and a nearby serviced destination in the same system. Agree these names with anyone coming along.

Expected result: You can name both the outward stop and the place you intend to return to.

A successful return teaches a reusable route before contracts, cargo and deadlines compete for your attention.

If it did not work: If the destination is unfamiliar or the trip includes a jump point, choose a shorter exercise first.

Find the intended destination

Separate controls: F2

mobiGlas > Map > search

Search its name and select the correct result. Compare the body and location names. Wheel zooms; left-drag rotates; right-drag pans.

Expected result: The selected place matches your written destination.

Selecting a place identifies it; the next action commits the route.

If it did not work: Similar names are not interchangeable. Recheck the result before plotting.

Read the route before accepting the trip

Map > Route to this Location

Choose Route to this Location. Read the right panel for Quantum Fuel and the number of legs.

Expected result: A plotted route and its requirements are visible.

Several legs mean several travel stages, not one uninterrupted journey.

If it did not work: No route? Check the selection and your ship context. Keep this separate from a drive that will not engage.

Field note: Latest known keyboard/mouse defaults, checked 14 October 2026. Hold timings use CIG 4.9 LIVE input data compared with 4.10 PTU; saved bindings can differ. This is source research, not a live gameplay test.

Check both fuel systems before leaving

Reserve enough for the outward trip, return and an alternate service stop. This is a planning allowance, not a universal percentage that fits every ship.

Buy the service you actually need

Separate controls: F1

Landed pilot seat > Landing Services

While landed at a service location, open Landing Services, choose the required refuel service and Confirm. Recheck the resulting quantities.

Expected result: The required fuel quantity has increased.

Hydrogen runs thrusters; Quantum Fuel runs quantum travel. Buying one does not replenish the other.

If it did not work: A clicked Confirm is not a completed top-up. Check the transaction and ship state before departure.

Recover a delayed services screen

Separate controls: F1

Landing Services after arrival, 4.10.2 advisory

If a landed ship has no service options, allow the hangar doors to close and several minutes to pass, then close and reopen the app.

Expected result: Available service options appear, or you have identified a persistent failure.

CIG identifies a delay after landing. Waiting and reopening address that symptom; they do not make every location a service stop.

If it did not work: Still unavailable? Confirm the location provides services and preserve your remaining fuel for a reachable alternative. Do not repeatedly confirm purchases you cannot verify.

Make room to navigate

Complete your takeoff before concentrating on the map. This lesson starts after you know the basic launch and landing controls.

Leave the departure area safely

Cleared departure > local flight

Wait for departure clearance and an open exit. Fly clear of structures. For a planetary departure toward a distant body or station, climb out of the atmosphere; CIG uses the altitude readout disappearing as its cue.

Expected result: You have cleared the departure area and can safely prepare the drive.

A valid map plan does not clear hangar doors, terrain or the atmosphere for you.

If it did not work: Still near terrain or traffic? Attend to flight first. Do not copy a single planet altitude as a universal departure height.

Read NAV first, then choose the QT operator

Master mode changes what the ship is configured to do. Operator mode selects the working interface inside that state. Make these two changes separately.

Enter the travel master mode

Separate controls: Hold B

Flight - Movement > Cycle Master Mode (Long Press)

Read the current master mode. If it is SCM, hold B once and let the transition finish. If it already reads NAV, leave it there.

Expected result: The master-mode label reads NAV and the transition completes.

NAV prepares the ship for travel. Spooling is the drive preparing itself, not proof of a calibrated destination.

If it did not work: This input cycles modes. Holding it again can undo your choice. Inspect the current label before another input.

Choose the quantum interface

Separate controls: Middle mouse

Vehicles - Seats and Operator Modes > Next Operator Mode

Click the wheel, rather than scrolling it, until the operator label reads QT. Read the label after each click.

Expected result: NAV and QT are selected.

QT exposes quantum-travel information. Changing the interface does not select your destination for you.

If it did not work: FLT is a different operator. If the quantum display is absent, inspect this label before trying the engage input.

Master mode: The broad ship state, such as SCM or NAV.
Operator mode: The working interface within that state, such as QT.
Spooling: Preparing the quantum drive. It is distinct from aligning and calibrating to the next destination.

Field note: NAV is not a combat-ready state. CIG introduced it with ineffective shields and no weapon firing during traversal. Check current readiness before returning to danger; a mode input is not proof that protection is already available.

Calibrate the next leg, then engage

SC Nomads checkpoint: destination, modes, target readiness, then departure. Check them in that order instead of pressing every control again.

Give the drive a stable destination

QT interface > selected next-leg marker

Point the ship at the next leg and hold alignment while its calibration/readiness indication completes.

Expected result: The intended marker is aligned and the displayed travel conditions are ready.

Calibration concerns this destination. A spooled drive still needs a usable target.

If it did not work: Not ready? Read the displayed problem. Check alignment, fuel and drive state one at a time; repeated mode changes do not fix every cause.

Start the confirmed leg

Separate controls: Hold Left mouse

Flight - Quantum Travel > Engage Quantum Drive (Hold)

With the intended target and ready state confirmed, hold left mouse. Watch for travel starting before assuming the command worked.

Expected result: The ship begins quantum travel toward the chosen leg.

The input requests departure. It cannot override a missing target, obstruction or fuel requirement.

If it did not work: No travel? Release the input and recheck readiness. If the binding differs, inspect Engage Quantum Drive (Hold), not a weapon-fire action.

Correct next leg
NAV master mode
QT operator
Target aligned and ready
Travel actually started

Identify arrival before following another marker

Travel ending does not mean you have landed. Keep attention on nearby terrain and traffic while deciding what comes next.

Name the next stage

Separate controls: F2

Map > current route

Once safe to look away from flight, check the location reached and any remaining leg. Say whether the next task is another quantum leg or a local approach.

Expected result: Your location and next task agree with the plan.

The long-distance journey and the final landing are separate tasks.

If it did not work: Unexpected location? Reconcile the route before engaging again. Do not follow an unrelated marker simply because it is visible.

Location reached identified
Remaining legs checked
Terrain and traffic inspected
Correct port selected

Get your landing assignment

At a controlled port, the port marker is not your landing permission. Wait for the assigned pad, hangar or docking location.

Request clearance

Keys together: Left Alt + N

Flight > Request Landing / takeoff clearance

Near the intended port, request ATC clearance. Read the response and assigned marker.

Expected result: You receive an assignment or a queue response.

ATC chooses the permitted arrival point for your ship.

If it did not work: If queued, wait clear of the approach. If the shortcut gives no response, use the comms card below.

Use the communications fallback

Separate controls: F11

mobiGlas > Commlink > Landing Services

Select the nearby port contact and hail it. The cockpit Communications MFD is another route.

Expected result: The intended port responds.

This reaches the same ATC service through a visible contact instead of only a shortcut.

If it did not work: No contact? Verify the port and hailing range. Do not enter an arbitrary open hangar.

Prepare the assigned pad or hangar approach

Separate controls: N

Landing gear toggle

For a pad or hangar landing, check gear state and lower it if needed. Approach your assignment with room to stop.

Expected result: Gear is extended before touchdown; successful landing is acknowledged.

A hangar opening is still an obstacle until your approach and clearance are correct.

If it did not work: N toggles gear, so recheck before pressing again. A docking-port assignment needs its docking procedure instead.

Finish by making the return repeatable

SC Nomads success check: reach the recorded starting port again, then describe one confusing stage and how you resolved it.

Prepare the return fuel

Separate controls: F1

Landed pilot seat > Landing Services

Check both fuels again and compare the return route with what remains. Use available services before committing to the return.

Expected result: You have an identified route and enough usable fuel for it.

Arriving successfully does not prove you can make the return on the remaining fuel.

If it did not work: If services or time prevent the return, finish safely at the current port. Use the session/logout guide rather than treating force quit as a travel fix.

Repeat the route in reverse

Separate controls: F2

Map > recorded starting port

Select your starting port and repeat route, modes, readiness, departure and landing. Record the actual result and build alongside your notes.

Expected result: You can repeat the journey without guessing which stage comes next.

This small drill becomes a route you can use later for cargo, salvage, mining or meeting a friend.

If it did not work: If the return differs, record that difference rather than assuming the outward settings still apply.

Find the failed stage before changing the plan

Open the symptom that matches what you saw. These checks separate a wrong input from a blocked route or a known interface problem.

No plotted route appears.: Check the selected place and ship context first. CIG 4.10.1 fixed paths obstructed by a large body or station; a manual detour is not a mandatory step for every current route. Record the origin and target if the failure persists.

The route exists, but I see no useful quantum display.: Read NAV and QT separately. FLT does not show the same quantum markers. Finish each mode transition before trying the next input.

I can see the target, but it will not become ready.: Read the warning and identify its category: alignment, position, fuel or drive. Change one relevant condition and inspect the result. Do not aim a route through terrain or assume a fixed waiting time will clear an obstruction.

Opening or closing the map causes a frame drop.: The 9 October 2026 CIG 4.10.2 advisory lists this with no workaround. Do map work from a safe position. This guide does not prescribe reinstalling or character repair for it.

The ATC shortcut fails but the contact works.: Use the visible communications path to finish safely. CIG 4.10.1 reports fixing this shortcut lookup fault; a recurrence should include the build and location, not a claim that the shortcut is always broken.

One of these controls differs on my installation.: Open Options > Keybindings, select your input device, then Advanced Controls Customization. Find the action name printed on its card. Suggest a correction through this guide with the build and changed binding; include a cropped settings image if useful.

Before you commit

Sightseeing and locating resources are activities you can do now. A ship sold for exploration does not establish a complete paid discovery or data-selling profession.

Uncharted-looking locations can be occupied or restricted. Do not interpret a missing warning or empty radar as proof of safety.

Field note: You can practise alone. A navigator can read the plan and watch your surroundings, but this lesson does not assume their map programs your ship. Separate ships should agree a named rendezvous. Different input? Open Options > Keybindings, choose your device, then Advanced Controls Customization. Read the named action before changing it. Submit corrections through this guide’s normal edit proposal.

Version history

Sources & guide information

Sources checked 14 Oct 2026; dated latest-known controls. Submit build-specific corrections through peer review.. Reference information, not a claim of current-patch playtesting.

CIG How to Quantum Travel, updated 12 Jun 2025; checked 14 Oct 2026 RSI Locations in Star Citizen CIG Vehicle Maintenance Services, updated 28 Jul 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG defaultProfile.xml, extracted by Subliminal: 4.9 LIVE defaults compared with 4.10 PTU, checked 13 Oct 2026 CIG Getting Started, updated 24 Jul 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Alpha 3.23.0: master modes and hold inputs, historical design basis; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG How to Land Your Ship, updated 22 Jun 2025; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Alpha 4.10.1 LIVE.12650677: route and ATC fixes; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG default input data via Subliminal: 4.9 LIVE cl12248363, compared with 4.10 PTU; checked 14 Oct 2026 CIG Set up keybindings for your peripherals, updated 17 Feb 2026 CIG Alpha 4.10.2 Known Issues, updated 9 Oct 2026; checked 14 Oct 2026