Quantum Travel and Landing

New Player Guide

Quantum Travel and Landing

Taking off is one thing.

Actually getting somewhere is the next step.

Star Citizen is huge, and normal flight will not get you across planets, moons, stations, and systems in any reasonable amount of time. To travel properly, you need to understand quantum travel.

Quantum travel is how you cover large distances in the ‘verse.

It lets you jump between:

  • Planets
  • Moons
  • Space stations
  • Cities
  • Outposts
  • Mission locations
  • Jump points
  • Other major navigation markers

This guide will walk through how quantum travel works, how to find a destination, how to jump, how to approach a station, how to call ATC, how to land, and what to do once you are safely on the deck.

Safely is the goal.

Stylishly is optional.

Explosively is common.

What Is Quantum Travel?

Quantum travel is Star Citizen’s fast travel system, but it still happens inside the world.

You are not opening a menu and teleporting.

You are spooling your quantum drive, calibrating to a destination, and jumping across a large distance in your ship.

You will use quantum travel constantly.

It is how you move between major locations without spending half your evening flying in a straight line while questioning your life choices.

When Can You Use Quantum Travel?

You usually need to be clear of atmosphere or at a valid altitude before quantum travel becomes available.

If you are leaving a major city on a planet, you may need to climb first.

A simple beginner process is:

  1. Take off from your hangar
  2. Fly upward away from the city
  3. Switch to NAV mode when safe
  4. Keep climbing
  5. Wait for quantum travel to become available
  6. Select or point at a destination
  7. Calibrate and jump

If your quantum drive says it is disabled, you may still be too low, too close to a restricted area, not in the right mode, or not aimed at a valid destination.

Or the game may be having a moment.

But check altitude and flight mode first.

SCM Mode vs NAV Mode

Before using quantum travel, you need to understand the difference between SCM and NAV.

SCM Mode

SCM is slower and more controlled.

Use SCM for:

  • Taking off
  • Landing
  • Flying near stations
  • Flying near cities
  • Combat
  • Close manoeuvring
  • Anything involving nearby walls

NAV Mode

NAV mode is for travel.

Use NAV for:

  • Flying longer distances
  • Leaving atmosphere
  • Reaching higher speeds
  • Preparing for quantum travel
  • Moving between locations

A simple rule:

SCM near objects. NAV in open space.

If you are near a station, city, hangar, landing pad, asteroid, or anything solid, slow down and use SCM.

NAV mode is wonderful until you NAV yourself directly into architecture.

Finding a Quantum Destination

Quantum destinations appear as markers on your HUD and map.

These may include:

  • Planets
  • Moons
  • Space stations
  • Cities
  • Orbital markers
  • Mission markers
  • Outposts
  • Jump points
  • Other navigation points

If you have an active mission, you may see a marker for your destination.

If you do not, you can use your MobiGlas map to find a location and set a route.

To make travel easier:

  1. Open your MobiGlas
  2. Go to the map
  3. Find the destination
  4. Set a route if available
  5. Return to your cockpit view
  6. Look for the marker on your HUD

Sometimes the map works beautifully.

Sometimes it behaves like it was designed during a power outage.

If setting a route does not work, you may still be able to manually point at a visible marker and jump.

Calibrating the Quantum Drive

Once you are in NAV mode and aimed at a valid quantum marker, your ship should begin calibrating.

Calibration means your quantum drive is lining up with the destination.

You may see information such as:

  • Destination name
  • Distance
  • Calibration progress
  • Spool progress
  • Quantum status
  • Obstruction warning

You usually need both calibration and spool to complete before jumping.

If you move your nose away from the marker, calibration may stop or reset.

Keep the ship pointed at the destination until the jump is ready.

This is not the moment to begin sightseeing.

Engaging Quantum Travel

Once your quantum drive is calibrated and ready, you can engage the jump.

Depending on your keybinds and current patch behaviour, this may use left mouse click or a quantum travel keybind.

The basic flow is:

  1. Enter NAV mode
  2. Aim at the destination marker
  3. Wait for calibration
  4. Wait for spool
  5. Engage quantum
  6. Let the ship travel
  7. Arrive near the destination

During quantum travel, your ship will move extremely fast.

Enjoy the view.

Try not to cancel it accidentally unless you mean to.

Short Jumps vs Long Jumps

Not every quantum jump is the same.

Some are short hops, such as:

  • Planet to orbital station
  • Moon to nearby outpost
  • Station to nearby marker

Others are long jumps, such as:

  • Planet to planet
  • Across a system
  • Toward jump points
  • Between major regions

Longer jumps may take more time and fuel.

If you are travelling far, make sure your ship has enough quantum fuel.

Starter ships can travel, but some are more limited than others.

A good habit is to refuel whenever you land somewhere with services.

Future you will be grateful.

Future you is often stranded.

Quantum Travel to a Space Station

One of your first useful jumps will probably be from a city to an orbital station.

For example:

  • Area18 to Baijini Point
  • New Babbage to Port Tressler
  • Lorville to Everus Harbor
  • Orison to Seraphim Station

Orbital stations are important because they give you access to:

  • Landing zones
  • Refuel, repair, and restock
  • Medical clinics
  • Shops
  • Cargo services
  • Hangars
  • Easier respawn options
  • A quicker base of operations than a city

Learning how to travel from your city to its orbital station is one of the best early skills in Star Citizen.

Approaching a Station

When you arrive from quantum travel, you will usually be some distance away from the station.

Do not keep flying at full speed directly toward it.

This is how citizens become station paint.

A safer approach:

  1. Exit quantum travel
  2. Point toward the station
  3. Stay aware of your speed
  4. Switch back to SCM as you get closer
  5. Use ping if it is dark or hard to see
  6. Slow down early
  7. Avoid station arms, rings, pads, and other structures
  8. Contact ATC when close enough
  9. Follow your landing marker

Stations are bigger than they look and closer than they feel.

Respect the approach.

Using Ping

If the station, terrain, or objects around you are hard to see, use ping.

A common key is:

  • Tab

Ping sends out a scan pulse that can help highlight nearby objects and surfaces.

This is especially useful when:

  • You are on the dark side of a planet
  • A station is poorly lit
  • You are landing on a moon at night
  • You are near asteroids
  • You are trying to avoid terrain
  • You are not entirely sure what the shape in front of you is

Ping will not fix bad piloting.

But it can give bad piloting more information.

That is still progress.

Calling ATC for Landing

To land at a station, city, or spaceport, you usually need to contact Air Traffic Control, or ATC.

A common shortcut is:

  • Left Alt + N

This requests landing permission.

If accepted, ATC will assign you a hangar, pad, or landing area.

You should see a marker appear on your HUD showing where to go.

If you do not see a marker:

  • Check whether you are close enough
  • Check whether you contacted the right station
  • Try again
  • Look around for a landing marker
  • Make sure you are not still too far away
  • Prepare for the possibility that the game is being dramatic

ATC is required for most legal landing areas.

If you just land wherever you feel like, the station may object.

Rudely.

Finding Your Assigned Hangar

Once ATC assigns you a landing spot, follow the HUD marker.

This may point to:

  • A hangar door
  • A landing pad
  • A docking area
  • A specific opening in the station

Move slowly toward it.

If the marker is inside a hangar, wait for the doors to open.

Do not ram the doors because you are “pretty sure they will open.”

They might.

They might not.

The doors do not care about your confidence.

Landing in a Hangar

Landing is one of the most important skills in Star Citizen.

A basic safe landing process:

  1. Approach the hangar slowly
  2. Stay in SCM mode
  3. Lower landing gear
  4. Line up with the hangar entrance
  5. Use small movements
  6. Strafe carefully into position
  7. Descend slowly
  8. Watch your speed
  9. Touch down gently
  10. Turn off engines once landed

The common landing gear key is:

  • N

The common downward strafe key is:

  • Left Ctrl

The common upward strafe key is:

  • Space

Small movements are better than big corrections.

Do not fight the hangar.

The hangar usually wins.

Landing Pads vs Hangars

Some locations use hangars.

Some use external pads.

Hangars are enclosed landing spaces with doors.

Pads are open landing areas.

For beginners, hangars can feel more intimidating because you need to fly through an opening and land inside a confined space.

Pads can be easier visually, but they may expose you to more external risk depending on location.

Either way, the same principles apply:

  • Slow down early
  • Lower landing gear
  • Stay controlled
  • Avoid boosting
  • Use small inputs
  • Land gently

A good landing is not fast.

A good landing is one where your ship remains a ship.

Turning Off Engines After Landing

Once you land, it is often a good idea to turn off your engines.

A common key is:

  • I

This helps prevent accidental movement while you are landed.

You can also power down fully if you are finished with the ship.

A common power key is:

  • U

For short stops, engines off may be enough.

For longer stops, storing the ship through the Fleet Manager is usually better.

Do not leave your ship hovering, drifting, or gently scraping itself into the wall while you go shopping.

Ships need boundaries.

Refuel, Repair, and Restock

After landing at a station, city, or spaceport with services, you can usually refuel, repair, and restock.

This is done through your MobiGlas.

Services may include:

  • Hydrogen fuel
  • Quantum fuel
  • Hull repair
  • Component repair
  • Ammunition restock
  • Missile restock
  • Other vehicle services depending on the current patch

A good habit:

Every time you land safely after a mission, check repair, refuel, and restock.

It is much better to pay a small service bill than discover halfway to a mission that your fuel is low, your missiles are empty, and your ship is being held together by emotional support.

When Should You Repair?

Repair when:

  • You took damage
  • You scraped a hangar
  • You were shot
  • You lost parts
  • Your ship feels wrong
  • Your displays show damage
  • You are about to do another mission

Sometimes damage is obvious.

Sometimes it is not.

If in doubt and you are already landed, check repair services.

It is usually worth doing before heading back out.

When Should You Refuel?

Refuel whenever you are low or before long trips.

There are usually two main fuel concerns:

  • Hydrogen fuel for normal flight
  • Quantum fuel for quantum travel

Running low on either can be a problem.

As a new player, make refuelling part of your station routine.

Land.

Repair.

Refuel.

Restock.

Then go back out and make new mistakes with a full tank.

When Should You Restock?

Restock if you have used:

  • Missiles
  • Ballistic ammo
  • Countermeasures
  • Other consumables tied to your ship

Not every ship or loadout needs frequent restocking.

Energy weapons, for example, may not need ammo restocks in the same way ballistic weapons do.

But if your ship uses missiles or ammo, get into the habit of checking.

Nothing says “learning experience” like entering a fight and discovering your missile racks are decorative.

Setting a Station as a Base

Once you reach an orbital station, you may decide to operate from there for a while.

This can be useful because stations are often faster to use than cities.

Stations usually have:

  • Hangars
  • Fleet Manager terminals
  • Clinics
  • Shops
  • Food
  • Refuel and repair
  • Easier access to space

Many players prefer to set their respawn at a station clinic and operate from there instead of repeatedly travelling down to a city.

You will learn more about this in the station and respawn guide, but for now, just know that orbital stations are extremely useful.

Cities are impressive.

Stations are practical.

Practical wins a lot.

Common Quantum Travel Mistakes

Trying to Quantum Too Low

If you are still in atmosphere, quantum may be disabled.

Climb higher.

Not Being in NAV Mode

Quantum travel usually requires NAV mode.

If nothing is working, check your mode.

Not Pointing at the Marker

Your ship needs to calibrate to the destination.

Point at the marker and keep it steady.

Cancelling the Jump

Moving away, changing modes, or pressing the wrong input may cancel calibration or travel.

Stay lined up until the jump starts.

Picking the Wrong Destination

This happens.

Check the marker name before jumping.

If you jump to the wrong place, you can usually correct it.

You have not failed.

You have simply taken the scenic route.

Running Low on Quantum Fuel

Refuel at stations.

Do not wait until the ship starts making your life difficult.

Common Landing Mistakes

Coming in Too Fast

Slow down early.

If you think you are slow enough, you may still be too fast.

Forgetting Landing Gear

Lower landing gear before landing.

If your ship will not settle properly, check the gear.

Boosting Near the Hangar

Do not boost near the hangar.

The hangar already has enough problems.

Ignoring ATC

If you do not request landing, you may not get a hangar.

Call ATC.

Not Seeing the Hangar Marker

Look around carefully.

Sometimes the marker is above, below, behind, or attached to a hangar opening you have not noticed yet.

Turning Too Hard Inside the Hangar

Use small inputs.

If you overcorrect, stop, stabilise, and move slowly.

What If You Crash While Landing?

If you crash while landing, do not stress.

Depending on the damage, you may be able to:

  • Recover and land
  • Repair at the station
  • Exit safely
  • Store the ship
  • Claim the ship
  • Respawn if things went badly

Everyone crashes.

Everyone has misjudged a hangar.

Everyone has, at some point, blamed desync with the confidence of a courtroom lawyer.

Learn from it and try again.

Basic Station Arrival Routine

Here is a simple routine for arriving at a station:

  1. Quantum travel to the station
  2. Slow down after arrival
  3. Switch to SCM near the station
  4. Use ping if visibility is poor
  5. Contact ATC
  6. Follow the landing marker
  7. Lower landing gear
  8. Enter the hangar slowly
  9. Land gently
  10. Turn engines off
  11. Open MobiGlas
  12. Repair, refuel, and restock
  13. Store the ship if you are staying

This routine will save you time, credits, and embarrassment.

Not all embarrassment.

But some.

SCANZ Recommendation

For new players, practise this loop early:

  • Take off from your starting city
  • Leave atmosphere
  • Quantum to the orbital station
  • Approach slowly
  • Call ATC
  • Land
  • Repair, refuel, and restock
  • Store your ship

Do this before taking risky missions.

Once you can travel from city to station and land safely, the whole game opens up.

You can start using stations as staging points, taking contracts, meeting other players, and operating with much less friction.

Your first clean station landing is a genuine milestone.

Enjoy it.

Then immediately do another one so it was not a fluke.

Final Advice

Quantum travel and landing are core Star Citizen skills.

You will use them constantly.

At first, the process may feel slow:

Take off. Climb. Switch modes. Find marker. Calibrate. Jump. Approach. Call ATC. Land. Repair. Refuel. Restock.

But soon it becomes routine.

And once it does, the ‘verse feels much smaller, more connected, and less intimidating.

Take your time.

Use SCM near stations.

Use NAV for travel.

Watch your speed.

Call ATC.

Lower your landing gear.

Repair and refuel before heading back out.

And remember: any landing you walk away from is technically progress.

Any landing where the ship still exists is even better.

Next Guide

Next: Your First Cargo Mission