Part of the series:

No Man's Sky Starships Guide (2026): Start here for everything ships — classes, S-Class hunting, and more.

How to Make Units Fast in No Man's Sky: All money-making methods ranked by effectiveness.

No Man's Sky: How to Get Nanites Fast: More strategies for building your nanite stockpile.

Quick Answer

Fly any ship you want to scrap to a space station and use the Starship Outfitting Terminal at the back of the station.
You receive roughly 70% of the ship's market value in units, paid out as trade goods and raw resources deposited into your exosuit inventory.
Scrapping also yields upgrade modules (typically 1–6 depending on ship type and class) that can be sold to the Technology Merchant for nanites.
Solar ships yield the most upgrade modules per scrap of any ship type; fighters are a reliable second choice.
You must have enough free exosuit inventory slots to receive all scrap items or the game will block the action.
Dismantle and reclaim any technology upgrades you want to keep before scrapping. They do not transfer automatically.
Living Ships cannot be scrapped directly: you must first trade the living ship to an NPC pilot, then scrap the conventional ship you receive in exchange.
The strategy of buying cheap ships and immediately scrapping them is among the most reliable mid-game nanite farming methods in the game.

Overview

Ship scrapping is one of No Man's Sky's most versatile economy tools. At its simplest, it lets you convert any unwanted vessel into a pile of units and trade goods. At its most optimized, it becomes an active nanite farm capable of generating tens of thousands of nanites per hour by cycling through purchased ships.

Whether you've picked up a free crashed ship and don't need it, stumbled onto an incredible S-Class and want to ditch your old hauler, or you're deliberately hunting cheap ships to flip for nanites. The scrapping mechanic covers all of it from a single terminal in every space station.

Where to Find the Scrapping Terminal

The terminal you need is called the Starship Outfitting Terminal, and it has two functions: upgrading ships and scrapping them. You'll find it in every major location type:

Regulated space stations: at the back of the station, next to the Starship Fabricator.
Outlaw stations: on the right side, next to the Salvage Dealer.
Abandoned stations: at the back of the landing area.

The terminal icon is a ship silhouette. Interact with it, select the ship you want to scrap from your fleet, and you'll see the estimated scrap value before confirming.

Step-by-Step: How to Scrap a Ship

Step 1. Prepare the ship. Before committing, open the ship's inventory and remove any technology upgrades you want to keep. Transfer valuable cargo to your exosuit or another ship. Installed upgrades that you don't manually dismantle are lost when you scrap.

Step 2. Check your exosuit inventory space. This is the step most players miss. All scrap items land in your exosuit general inventory, not in the scrapped ship's slots. If you don't have enough free slots to receive every item, the game will refuse to complete the scrapping. Clear space before you begin.

Step 3. Fly to any space station. Land, exit your ship, and walk to the Starship Outfitting Terminal at the back of the station.

Step 4. Select your ship and initiate scrapping. Interact with the terminal, choose the "Salvage" or scrap option, select the target ship, and read the value estimate shown. The game gives you a confirmation prompt. Double-check which ship is selected before you proceed.

Step 5. Collect your rewards. Items appear in your exosuit inventory immediately. These include raw materials, trade goods, and a randomized set of upgrade modules. Sell the upgrade modules to the Technology Merchant (look for the suit/multi-tool/starship upgrade vendor in the station) and sell trade goods at the Galactic Trade Terminal.

What You Actually Get

Scrapping pays out in three categories:

Units via trade goods and raw materials

The total value of what you receive is approximately 70% of the ship's current market value. This is not paid in raw units. It comes as trade commodities, alloys, and raw resources that you then sell. Ships with a high number of broken/damaged cargo slots yield less, since damaged slots reduce the scrap calculation.

Upgrade modules (the nanite goldmine)

Every scrapped ship produces upgrade modules depending on ship type and class. These are the same starship technology upgrades sold by vendors: Pulse Engine upgrades, shield upgrades, weapon upgrades, etc., and they can be sold to the Technology Merchant for nanites. Module values range from a modest amount for C-Class modules to substantially more for S-Class modules. The grade of modules you receive matches the class of the scrapped ship.

Ship Type	Typical Module Count	Notes
Solar	Up to 6	Highest potential per ship
Fighter	3–5	Reliable, easy to find
Sentinel Interceptor	Varies	Units and tech only; no custom parts
Explorer	1–3	Lower yield
Shuttle	1–3	Widely available, lower yield
Hauler	1–4, plus Storage Augmentations	Better for slot augments

Note on Exotic ships: Exotics are always S-Class and can be scrapped at the terminal for units and upgrade modules, but exact module counts are variable and not firmly established by the community. Exotics are rarely worth buying specifically to scrap, since their purchase price is typically very high relative to the nanite return.

Storage Augmentations

All ship types have a chance to drop Storage Augmentations when scrapped, with haulers having a higher probability. Storage Augmentations unlock a free inventory slot in any ship when applied. They are extremely useful for expanding your ship's inventory without spending units and can also be sold or traded. The number of augmentations dropped is tied to the specific ship's seed and class, so the same ship scrapped multiple times in the same system will yield the same count.

The Ship-Flipping Nanite Farm

This is the dedicated strategy players use to convert units into nanites at scale:

Setup requirements:

A high-wealth star system (look for economy descriptors like Wealthy, Opulent, Prosperous, Affluent, Booming, Flourishing, Advanced, or High Supply in the Galaxy Map). Wealthier systems spawn higher-class ships more frequently.
A starting budget of units (the more the better: even a modest amount works, but it depletes faster).
At least a half-dozen free exosuit inventory slots.

The loop:

Stand near the space station landing pads and watch incoming ships. Use your Analysis Visor or approach pilots to check ship class.
Buy any B-Class or higher ship from a pilot for a reasonable price. Solar ships and fighters are priority targets. Avoid overpaying. The goal is to spend less than the nanite value of the modules you'll receive.
Walk to the Starship Outfitting Terminal and scrap immediately.
Sell upgrade modules to the Technology Merchant for nanites. Sell trade goods at the Galactic Trade Terminal.
Repeat.

What to target: Solar ships at any class are the community's top recommendation due to their high module counts. A-Class and S-Class ships of any type produce better modules. For pure nanite efficiency, avoid over-priced S-Class ships unless the module payout clearly justifies the cost: S-Class modules sell for significantly more nanites, but you're also spending significantly more units to buy the ship.

The unit cost means you'll slowly spend down your unit balance as you convert it into nanites. Experienced players treat this as a deliberate trade: units are easy to replenish through passive methods like Activated Indium mining, while nanites require more active effort.

Tips to Maximize Your Returns

Farm in wealthy systems. Economy tier directly affects the quality of ships that spawn, which in turn affects the upgrade modules you receive. A high-tier wealthy system will consistently spawn higher-class ships than an average system.

Prioritize solar ships and fighters. Community testing confirms solar ships produce the highest module counts of any ship type. Fighters are a strong second and are easier to find in most systems. Explorers, shuttles, and haulers tend to produce fewer modules per ship and are lower priority unless you specifically want Storage Augmentations from haulers.

Don't scrap your main ship by accident. The terminal lets you scrap any ship in your fleet. Double-check which ship is selected before confirming.

Keep inventory clear. Run a loose exosuit inventory and sell trade goods regularly. If your exosuit fills up mid-session, you'll be blocked from scrapping until you offload items.

Check if the ship has installed upgrades worth keeping. If a ship you're scrapping has rare S-Class upgrade modules already installed, dismantle them first with the ship's technology menu. Dismantling recovers the module so you can sell it or reinstall it elsewhere. This adds nanites on top of what you get from scrapping.

Sell modules to the right vendor. Upgrade modules must be sold to the Technology Merchant at the space station (the vendor that sells ship, suit, and multi-tool upgrades). Regular merchants and trade terminals will not buy them. When you open the Technology Merchant's sell menu, select the module category that matches what you're carrying.

How Ship Scrapping Compares to Other Unit Methods

Scrapping is not the fastest raw-unit generator. methods like Stasis Device crafting Or trading on optimized routes produce more units per hour at peak efficiency. Where scrapping stands out is its nanite yield. For players who need nanites to unlock better upgrades and technology slots, the ship-flipping loop is competitive with or superior to most other nanite methods, and it requires very little setup.

For a broader view of which money-making strategy fits your current game stage, see the best money-making methods by game stage guide.

FAQ

Can I scrap a ship I'm currently flying?

Yes. You can scrap the ship you arrived in as long as you have another ship in your fleet to switch to. The game will not let you scrap your only ship if it leaves you with nothing to fly.

Can I scrap a Living Ship?

Not directly. Living Ships cannot be salvaged at the Starship Outfitting Terminal. To dispose of one, trade the living ship to an NPC pilot, then scrap the conventional starship you receive in exchange.

Do I need to dismantle upgrades before scrapping?

You don't have to, but you should if those upgrades are valuable. Installed technology in the ship's slots is not returned to you automatically when you scrap. It's consumed as part of the salvage process. Manually dismantling an upgrade before you scrap puts the module in your inventory, letting you sell it or move it to another ship.

What happens to the ship's cargo when I scrap?

Cargo in the ship's general inventory slots is not automatically transferred. You need to move it to your exosuit or another ship before scrapping. Anything left in the ship when you confirm the scrap is lost.

Why won't the game let me complete the scrapping?

The most common reason is insufficient exosuit inventory space. Every item from the scrapped ship (trade goods, raw materials, and upgrade modules) must fit into your exosuit general inventory. Free up slots and try again.

Is scrapping worth it for a cheap C-Class ship?

Generally not for nanites. C-Class modules sell for relatively little. For units, you'll still recover roughly 70% of the ship's value, which can be fine if you just want to offload a ship. The nanite farming loop works best with B-Class ships and above.

Can Sentinel Interceptors be scrapped?

Yes. Sentinel Interceptors can be scrapped at the Starship Outfitting Terminal for units and upgrade modules. However, they cannot be dismantled for custom ship parts the way fighters, explorers, and haulers can.

Where do I sell the upgrade modules I get from scrapping?

Sell them to the Technology Merchant inside the space station. This is the vendor that sells upgrade modules for your ship, suit, and multi-tool. Look for the option to sell in their interface. Regular trade terminals and general merchants will not accept upgrade modules.

Key Takeaways

The Starship Outfitting Terminal at every space station handles scrapping. Walk to the back of the station to find it.
Scrapping returns roughly 70% of ship value in trade goods, plus upgrade modules depending on ship type and class.
Always clear exosuit inventory and remove upgrades you want to keep before scrapping.
Solar ships yield the most modules per scrap (up to 6); fighters are a reliable alternative.
Living Ships cannot be scrapped directly: trade them to an NPC first, then scrap the conventional ship received.
Selling upgrade modules to the Technology Merchant for nanites is one of the best mid-game nanite strategies available.
Farm in high-wealth systems for better ship spawns and higher-quality modules.
Units are spent down during the flip loop. Pair this method with a passive unit income like mining or frigate expeditions for a sustainable economy.

No Man's Sky: How to Scrap Ships for Units & Modules