Galnet News Digest

There's been another peak in pirate activity, this time round prison ships, leading to speculation about a possible mass jailbreak.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

President Winters believes that space eggs collected from blue trees on planets orbiting the star HIP 87621 pose a "credible threat" to the safety of the Federation.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

Following the successful completion of last week's two initiatives calling for surface and laser mined commodities, Wreaken and Vodel are back with a third initiative. But this time, they want you to buy the commodities from the store.Commodities needed: palladium, gold, silver, bertrandite, indite, gallite, coltan, uraninite, lepidolite, cobalt, rutile and water, at Metz Enterprise in the Ega system (remember to sign up first)! Commodities sold as part of the initiative will have a 3x price multiplier.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

Wreaken Mining has somehow managed to turn its week-long celebration of mining into public relations disaster, after a series of questionable decisions. Which is a shame, because in the right circumstances, the Rhino can can be an absolute pleasure to use.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

Launched yesterday in early access, Vodel's latest surface vehicle is making its presence felt. And Wreaken Mining is sponsoring two CGs to test the mining rigs that come bundled with the vehicle, with paintjobs and a decal on offer to those that take part. The initiatives are at Metz Enterprise in the Ega system.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

Nakato Kaine and Zemina Torval stand to gain dramatically from Surface Mining, but they're not the only Powers set to benefit.We also confirm that raw engineering materials are part of the Surface Mining haul.

With just five days left until the early access release of the Rhino Surface Mining Vehicle, journalists have been invited to take a test-drive, and try out the surface mining that the Rhino was designed for. Inexplicably, Galnet News Digest was loaned a whole herd of Rhinos. Here's what we found out.The Rhino, and its surface mining capability, will be available in Early Access for ARX from Wednesday 2nd September. It will become generally available for Credits, probably about three months after launch.

The Rhino Surface Mining Vehicle enters Early Access on Wednesday 2 September, alongside new deployable mining rigs and a brand new Operation, "Under Siege".The Rhino will be made available to the press for review on Friday 28th August, and will be available to purchase for ARX on Wednesday 2nd September. Early adopters will get the Rhino Surface Mining Vehicle, the Mk II Large Planetary Vehicle Hangar and the Planetary Mineral Scanner in a bundle with the Rhino Outfitting Unlock, so you have exclusive access to buy more Rhinos, and a Rhino Owners Club Decal. The Stellar and Galactic editions come with additional cosmetic options.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

New deployable rigs for surface mining could be available within days, according to information published by a major mining corporation. There's talk of "deployable laser drills and refinery modules" intended to open up planetary surfaces to exploitation, making available "previously unobtainable resources", and of an upgraded Detailed Surface Scanner too.

The Colonia Council has announced that the new Megamarket is open for business. Only, it isn't.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

The Emperor has made large quantities of Soontill Relics available for a limited time only, giving an opportunity for Power Agents to earn a care package for every load delivered.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

Preparations for the Colonia Tenth Anniversary Celebrations are complete. And Commanders left with nothing to do are wondering: should they stay or should they go?

Surface mining is coming to the Galaxy this month, along with a new Operation. At the heart of it all: the brand new Rhino SRV, an armoured mining vehicle that can be dropped onto the planet's surface and can carry up to three crew.The Rhino will initially be available in early Access, in exchange for ARX.

Commanders carrying Curated Commodity Care Packages for the Colonia Council's tenth anniversary celebration have noticed that there appears to be a sliding scale of difficulty, with the demand at one of the four ports unlikely to be met. Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

The Pilots' Federation has obtained an image of a not-yet-announced ground vehicle that looks like it may be a successor to the MB4 surface mining rig, opening up opportunities to exploit landable planets with geological features. Confirmation (or otherwise) of this conjecture is expected on Thursday 6th August.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

The Colonia Council has welcomed commanders to Colonia with four cargo-hauling initiatives, all of which offer a Size 5 Expanded Cargo Rack as a reward to participants who deliver one tonne or more. So, for four cargo delivered, you can get 44 additional cargo space.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

The Pilots' Federation has invited its members to visit Colonia, to assist in the next part of the tenth anniversary celebrations, asking all pilots willing to distribute rare goods and commodities to make their way to Colonia over the next few days. The Megaships loaded up last week in Facece are expected to arrive in Colonia on Thursday, and the distribution of their cargo, which is being organised by the Colonia Council, will be important to the success of events planned to mark the anniversary of the founding of Colonia in 3302.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about the game Elite Dangerous.

The fate of the Colonia Mega-Market and the prospect of Trailblazers colonisation being extended to the Colonia region hangs in the balance as Brewer Corporation describes its commodity-gathering initiative only a "partial" success.Galnet News Digest is a podcast about Elite Dangerous.

The prospect of Colonisation in the Colonia region seems to have become significantly more likely after a Pilots' Federation plea for Commanders to take part in this week's initiative, referring to System Architects.Thanks to CMDR Profane Pagan for bringing this to our attention.

The Colonia Council has finally started preparing for its tenth anniversary celebrations, and it has called for vast amounts of a huge variety of commodities to be delivered to an Imperial system in the heart of the Bubble.

Commanders have been warned to stay in the Bubble and await instructions, ahead of an initiative to celebrate Colonia's tenth anniversary.

Exobiology student Terri Tora has been released unharmed by the October Consortium. The Vista Genomics/Faulcon DeLacy Initiative to put the Nomad through its paces has been declared a success, and we have a way to recover our missing "visited systems" data.

Something strange has happened to Fleet Carriers in the past week or so. And it's having a severe impact on colonisation efforts.

There's chaos* at the Magrathea II megaship this week, as dozens of Commanders try to cash in their exobiological findings on a Megaship that has only one large pad.*Well, perhaps not quite chaos. Explorers are by nature an orderly bunch. But there is low-key muttering and even some quite pointed tutting.

Vista Genomics has found a use for the Nomad, and they're offering rewards - but the initiative is based some way south of the Bubble, in the Sanguineous Rim. Plus, Goods and travel history have gone missing, and Merc Coin outfitting has had a redesign.

The Federal President has threatened the October Consortium with adversarial scientific research, as she expressed her "disappointment" that the Federation has been denied access to Radicoida Unica and any medicinal applications it might have.

Core Dynamics's fighter that bites hard, the Kestrel Mk II, is finally available for everyone to buy with Credits. If you're remotely interested in fighting, it's a ship you should own.Plus, we have a first peek at some of the ship modules you'll be able to buy using Operations' new currency, Merc Coin.

We now have more information about the team-based Operations missions that will be launching on 30th June. If you've never done much on-foot combat, will you be ready? Do you know the difference between upgrading and engineering for suits and weapons? Do you know the difference between Goods, Assets and Data, and which ones can be traded or sold? If you're completely clueless, perhaps we can help.

The Nomad will have not one, not two, but three opening hatches, And you can walk around its interior. But you still need to pause for a moment when you get into the pilot's seat.We have prices, and we also have good news for owners of ships other than the Caspian Explorer.

Designed for exploration, the new Nomad Ship Launched Vehicle looks set to make Zorgon Peterson's medium explorer obsolete, with the news that the only exploration ship that can carry a Nomad is the larger Caspian. There are two other ships that can carry a Nomad, but they're not the ones you'd expect.

21,669 contributors wanted Frontline Solutions' Operations solution to launch on time, and they delivered 97.86% of the required components to make sure Frontline doesn't have reason to delay the launch any further.

In a slow news week, we're pleased to present Dodo Land, based on an unpublished (and entirely non-canon) Galnet article written by the Winking Cat in 3304.This is not about something happening in Elite Dangerous: instead, search the internet for Planet Zoo 2.

Aisling Duval has won control of the famed Hutton Mug, following a stunning victory in Alpha Centauri, allegedly because of her skill as a scrap merchant.In other news, there's a tiny bit more information about Radicoida, and nothing at all about Jaques's promised Colonia celebration.

Commanders have saved Operations, which can now be launched on 30 June as planned.

CMDR Profane Pagan has looked at the images we have of the new Nomad ship-launched exploration shuttle, and wonders if it might be boardable through an opening side door. This is speculation based on limited evidence, but with the Lynx Highliner allowing crew to board by climbing a ramp before transitioning to the cockpit, could the same be true of the Nomad?Thanks to CMDR Profane Pagan for sharing details of their investigation.

If Operations doesn't release on time, it will be our fault, according to Imogen le Ray, CEO of Frontline Solutions. Frontline needs our help to build the fleet of Operation Runner base ships that will make Operations possible. We have two weeks to make it happen, and there are paintjob rewards for us as well: a Type-8 Convoy Chromatic Cherry and a Panther Clipper Mk II ZPG Parcel Red.

A brand-new ship-launched vessel is being released on 30 June. The Nomad is built to explore planetary surfaces, even where the terrain is too rough to land a ship.

Frontline Solutions has said that it will provide a platform to "combat the rise in criminal activity", with a formal announcement expected in the next few days.

An unknown ship manufacturer has published this image (or "an image" if you're listening to the podcast) on social media, with the caption: "The surface is calling. Discover the Galaxy's next new vessel. Full Concept Reveal - 2 June 2026". Is it a ship, or something else?

Radicoida plants were used to prepare alien warriors for battle, according to a leading specialist in xeno-technology. Engineer Ram Tah has revealed that Radicoida seed pods may have been used by the ancient Guardians.

The Pilots' Federation has announced a final, exact date for the launch of the new Operations mission system, and they've described in step-by-step detail how one of the missions will work. Plus, there's some good news for Commanders who long for the days when the galaxy was so much more colourful than it is now.

Starports in the Lhou Mans system are working again, but there's no word yet about what might be happening in Colonia. And a Trailblazers colony has been established (just) more than 10,000 LY from Sol.

The Galactic community is anticipating a new Community Goal in Colonia, after bartender Jaques dropped hints that he would be celebrating the tenth anniversary of the most famous misjump in Galactic history.Closing image by Dr Nagi, Distant Worlds 3 organiser.

With almost all the tourists rescued and the pirates driven off, it's time to repair the damaged starports in Lhou Mans. And there are, of course, rewards on offer. Everyone that registers at Ryman Enterprise and takes part, as long as they contribute at least one tonne, will be awarded a Panther Clipper Zorgon Peterson Red paintjob and one each of the Class 5 and Class 6 pre-engineered cargo racks, which can carry 35% more cargo than a normal cargo rack of the same size. The Class 5 rack can therefore carry 43 tonnes of goods, while the Class 6 can carry 86 tonnes. That's a total of 33 extra tonnes every trip.

It's been a big week for news in the more distant parts of the Galaxy. The Distant Worlds 3 expedition is coming to the end of its 15-stop tour of the Galaxy, and colonisation crews working for Project Galtea have started preparing for their next push, which will create colonies more than 10,000 LY from Sol.

The mastermind behind the pirate attacks in Lhou Mans has been named. According to Mira Bukowski of Vox Galactica, sources in the crime underworld have named the owner of the crossed axe symbol as "Lady Zi", a pirate admiral commanding a coalition fleet of many pirate factions all under a single command.

The Dodec Starport has finally been made generally available, with a half-price offer to cut out the hauling.

Pirates have returned to the Lhou Mans system, to the delight of Commanders, after taking a brief holiday.

The October Consortium is apparently delighted with their pile of nearly three million Guardian Artefacts. Meanwhile, the evacuation of Lhou Mans is going well, and the Distant Worlds 3 expedition has been scanning their own beacon.

Burning Stations are back, after a coordinated pirate attack in the Lhou Mans system. You can get your hands on a brand new Lynx Highliner to help out with the evacuation, for the low, low price of zero ARX and zero Credits.