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Hathor Align & Mine: Orbital Laser Platform Guide

How to run the Hathor Group's Align & Mine activity in Star Citizen — align the planetary facilities on Daymar and Aberdeen, power and fire an Orbital Laser Platform, then mine the exposed Carinite and trade it to Wikelo for armour, weapons and ships.

DifficultyHard
Duration60–120 min
PlayersSolo possible · Group recommended (2–4)
Verified4.8.0 · 2026-06-09

The Hathor Group were once a mining corporation operating across the Stanton system. They left behind a network of Orbital Laser Platforms (OLPs) in low orbit over the moons Daymar and Aberdeen — and those abandoned lasers are now the heart of one of Star Citizen's best repeatable mining activities: Align & Mine.

The loop is a multi-step heist-meets-mining run. You break into a surface Platform Alignment Facility, work through colour-coded keycards to reach the comp boards, align three satellite dishes — each insertion summoning a Valakkar sandworm you have to dodge — then haul heavy batteries up to power the platform and fire the orbital laser. The blast opens a cave seam of Carinite (plus Pure Carinite, Janalite and Saldynium) — deep-red gems that only exist on these two moons. Cash the haul out to the Banu trader Wikelo, whose Emporium trades it for armour, weapons, components and even ships.

It rewards preparation and teamwork, and because both the lasers and Wikelo are permanent, it's an activity you can come back to whenever you want a high-value run.

A note on accuracy: the locations, rewards and key mechanics below were cross-checked against the Star Citizen Wiki and community guides and verified against live 4.8 play. The activity launched in Alpha 4.1, and tuning (exact satellite/battery counts) can shift between patches — verify the live details in-game.

What you need(5)

  • Heat-resistant armour (for Aberdeen) — Aberdeen is a scorching sulphur world — bring industrial/heat-rated armour or you will cook before finishing. Daymar is survivable in a standard suit.
  • FPS mining tool — A handheld multi-tool with a mining attachment to extract the exposed Carinite gems by hand.
  • A MaxLift handheld tractor beam — A handheld MaxLift Tractor Beam is enough to lift and haul the heavy power batteries to the platform terminals — you do NOT need a ship- or vehicle-mounted tractor beam.
  • A ship to reach the orbital platform — The Orbital Laser Platform is a station in low orbit over the moon — you need a ship to fly up to it and power it with the batteries.
  • A squad (recommended) — The activity is long and contested; teammates speed up key-hunting, hauling and mining.

Where to go(2)

  • Daymar — Crusader's moon. Hosts the Attritus and Lamina Orbital Laser Platforms (low orbit) and their alignment facilities. Cooler than Aberdeen — survivable in a standard suit.
  • Aberdeen — Hurston's sulphur moon. Hosts the Ruptura and Vivere platforms. Extreme heat — heat-resistant armour required.

Step by step(7)

  1. 1

    Travel to a Hathor moon and gear up

    Pick a target moon — Daymar (Crusader) or Aberdeen (Hurston). Each hosts two Orbital Laser Platforms (OLPs) in low orbit — Attritus & Lamina over Daymar, Ruptura & Vivere over Aberdeen — and every platform is served by three ground Platform Alignment Facilities (labelled PAF-I, PAF-II and PAF-III), for 12 PAFs in total across the two moons. Land near a PAF — the cluster of small buildings, garages and ground satellites below its platform.

    Tip: On Aberdeen, do NOT land without heat-rated armour. Temperatures are brutal and a standard suit will overheat fast.

  2. 2

    Hunt down the access keys (blue → red)

    Each PAF is a cluster of small outbuildings and vehicle garages around one main central building, and the good rooms are gated by a strict keycard chain: blue card → red-card printer → red card. Start with the blue keycards — these just sit out in the smaller open-access outbuildings (no printing needed, simply grab them). A blue card unlocks the blue-door garages, and inside those garages are the red-card printers: print yourself a red keycard there. The red card is the one that opens the secured rooms in the main building — the upstairs "red rooms" / security, comms and admin — where the comp boards and the best loot are kept.

    Tip: Layouts vary by site — some Daymar PAFs spawn a red card right inside the main building, saving a garage run. Sites are guarded and often contested by other players, so clear each room carefully and watch the doors.

  3. 3

    Collect the comp boards

    In the locked security/comms/admin rooms, grab the comp boards (the computer boards that program the satellites). You need one per satellite you intend to align.

  4. 4

    Align the satellites (and survive the sandworm)

    Go to each of the three satellite dishes and insert a comp board into its control-room terminal to align it. Every comp-board insertion wakes an Adult Valakkar sandworm (~15 m — the rock-spitting middle life stage, not the colossal Apex worm from the separate Storm Breaker raid), which hurls deadly rock projectiles — take cover indoors immediately after each insert. With all dishes aligned, the facility links up to the orbital laser overhead.

    Tip: The Adult Valakkar can one-shot an exposed player. Insert a board, then duck behind a wall before it surfaces.

  5. 5

    Power the platform with batteries

    With the satellite dishes aligned, fly up to the Orbital Laser Platform itself — a station in low orbit over the moon — to power it (this is what the ship is for). The power batteries there are heavy, so use a handheld MaxLift Tractor Beam — or, better, an ATLS GEO power suit (Argo's mining/geology exosuit, with a built-in tractor beam) — to lift each one and slot it into the platform's terminals. Once the terminals are powered, you're cleared to fire (you'll receive an activation card / the fire control unlocks).

    Tip: Battery counts reported in-game vary — grab every battery you find and fill every terminal slot. The ATLS GEO makes the heavy lifting far quicker than the handheld MaxLift.

  6. 6

    Fire the laser and open the cave

    The batteries go up in the platform, but the trigger is back down on the surface: once the platform is powered, drop back to the moon and head to the bunker on the ground directly beneath the orbital laser, then push the activation button (insert the activation card if prompted). This fires the Orbital Laser Platform, which drills down and blasts open a cave packed with mineral deposits.

  7. 7

    Mine the gems and loot the cave

    Drop into the freshly opened cave and hand-mine the exposed Carinite — plus the rarer Pure Carinite, Janalite and Saldynium veins. Sweep the site for loot caches too: components, shields, armour, weapons and crafting medals.

    Tip: This is the most contested phase — rival players raid the cave and the Valakkar still lurks. Run small, fast extraction trips rather than hoarding.

Rewards(4)

  • Carinite (and Pure Carinite) — A deep-red, high-value gemstone found only on Daymar and Aberdeen — the headline prize the laser exposes. The rarer Pure Carinite vein is worth even more.
  • Other cave gems — The blasted cave also holds Janalite and Saldynium deposits to hand-mine.
  • Cave & site loot — Treasure caches with military-grade components, stealth shields, armour, ammo, weapons and damaged medals used in crafting.
  • Wikelo Emporium rewards — Trade Carinite and loot to the Banu trader Wikelo for armour, weapons, ship components and ships.

FAQ(7)

Is the Hathor Align & Mine activity permanent?

Yes. Unlike limited-time server events, the Hathor orbital lasers and Wikelo are permanent features — the mining resources will always be available.

What do I actually mine?

Mainly Carinite — a deep-red, high-value gemstone that only spawns on Daymar and Aberdeen — including the rarer Pure Carinite. The cave also holds Janalite and Saldynium.

What's the giant worm that attacks me?

An **Adult Valakkar** (~15 m) — the rock-spitting middle life stage, not the colossal **Apex** Valakkar from the separate Storm Breaker raid in Pyro. It's drawn out each time you insert a comp board to align a dish, and it launches rock projectiles that can kill instantly. Take cover indoors right after every insertion.

Where are the Orbital Laser Platforms?

In low orbit over the two moons: Attritus and Lamina over Daymar, Ruptura and Vivere over Aberdeen. Their alignment facilities are on the surface below.

Can I do it solo?

It's possible, but the activity is long — hunting keys, aligning satellites, hauling batteries and mining — so a small group makes it much faster and safer.

Do I need a special suit?

For Aberdeen, yes — its extreme sulphur heat requires heat-resistant armour. Daymar is survivable in a standard suit.

Where do I sell the rewards?

Take Carinite and loot to a Wikelo Emporium and trade with Wikelo for armour, weapons, components and ships.

Related(8)

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Sources(13)