Main Sequence research and technology

How research works

Research is the progression system that turns factory output into new capabilities. The developer’s core-loop post says certain manufactured items can be fed into Science Labs and converted into research. Unlocks include crafting recipes, machines, and new modules for ships and stations.

In practice, this means research is an industrial input. If a lab has no item supply or no power, progress stops. The demo also uses a research queue; the official screenshot shows Logistics I at 0/10 with an Unlocks panel beside it.

Science types and individual technologies are different things.Electromagnetic Science is a research branch/tier that consumes production output. Logistics I and Mining Drones are technology nodes within the automation branch.

Visible technology tree

The rows below follow the visible left-to-right ordering in the official demo screenshot. The screenshot shows the Automation branch, part of the Production branch, Power Generation and Ship Modules. The Weapons branch label is visible but its contents are not in the captured frame.

Research node index

Search the nodes or filter by branch. The status column distinguishes nodes visible in the demo screenshot from later technologies named in developer updates.

35 indexed nodes · Costs not shown unless directly visible

Science types

A sensible demo research priority

This is an editorial reading of the visible tree, not a mandatory build order. It assumes you want to progress from hand-fed machines to a stable automated base.

1. Logistics I: the gate to conveyor belts in the current demo. Until this is done, the factory cannot really automate.
2. Reliable station power: keep the research and production machines running. The power branch is a separate progression line, so do not ignore it while chasing automation.
3. Mining Drones: after Logistics I, this moves resource gathering onto the station and reduces the need to hand-fly every run.
4. Computation Science / Logistics II: the visible automation path after Mining Drones, leading toward the Enrichment Chamber and larger logistics.
5. Ore and production tiers: Silica Refining, Ore Enrichment and Cobalt Refining feed later construction and science. Follow the item you actually need rather than unlocking everything.
6. Slipstream Drive: the demo’s stated endpoint. Build the science loop to support it, and remember that only Warp Fuel can go into the drive.

The tree does not expose enough cost data to calculate an optimal order. Your actual priority depends on the production bottleneck in your save, especially in co-op.

What this research page does not cover

• Every node in the final game; the public screenshot is partial.
• Exact research costs, times and science-item recipes.
• Weapon-branch contents, which are cut off in the source image.
• Faction or story-locked technology.
• Balance changes that may land at Early Access or later.

The page is still useful as a map of the demo’s research vocabulary and the dependencies shown on screen. For the practical route, return to the beginner’s guide. For station machines and module functions, use the modules database.