How to Do Missions in Star Citizen

TL;DR: Press F1 to open your mobiGlas, tap the Contract Manager app (the clipboard icon), browse the Available tab, and accept a mission. Objective markers appear on your HUD automatically. Complete the objective and the aUEC reward lands in your account instantly — no turn-in required.

Last updated 2026-05-15 for the current Live build. Mission UI and reward values change frequently — always check the in-game Contract Manager for the latest pay rates.

Opening the Contract Manager

Your mobiGlas is the wrist-mounted computer that every citizen carries at all times. Think of it as your in-game smartphone — it holds your star map, inventory, transaction history, and most importantly, the Contract Manager.

Press F1 to open your mobiGlas. You'll see a series of app icons along the bottom or side of the interface. Look for the Contract Manager app — it displays a clipboard or contract icon. Click it to open the mission board.

The Contract Manager has four tabs:

• Available — missions you can accept right now
• Active — missions currently in progress
• Completed — missions you've successfully finished
• Failed — missions that timed out or were abandoned

Click Available to browse the current mission list. Missions refresh periodically, so if the list looks thin, wait a minute and it will repopulate. Each mission entry shows the mission name, a brief description, the aUEC reward, and a difficulty rating (shown as skulls — one skull is the easiest, five skulls is the hardest).

Accepting a Mission

Click any mission in the Available list to expand its details panel on the right side of the screen. Read the description carefully — it tells you what you need to do, where to go, and any special requirements (ship type, weapons, etc.).

When you're ready, click the Accept button. A few things happen immediately:

1. The mission moves from the Available tab to your Active tab.
2. Objective markers (waypoints) appear in your HUD and on the Starmap — look for the mission-colored markers in your cockpit or visor.
3. A mission summary notification briefly appears on screen confirming the accept.

You can have multiple missions active at the same time, which is great for efficiency — more on stacking missions in the tips section below.

Important: Some missions have a timer. If you don't complete them within the time limit, they'll move to your Failed tab and you'll receive no payment. The timer is shown in the mission details before you accept — check it before committing.

Mission Types for Beginners

The Contract Manager offers a wide variety of mission types. Here's a breakdown of the most common ones and what to expect from each:

Delivery Missions

The friendliest mission type for new players. You pick up a package from Location A and drop it off at Location B. Payment scales with the distance you travel — longer hauls pay more. You don't need combat skills or a combat ship: any flyable vessel works. Delivery missions are the best way to learn quantum travel (QT), station docking, and general navigation before you start taking risks.

Investigation / Data Running

These missions send you to a location — usually a derelict ship or outpost — to interact with terminals and collect data or evidence. Low combat risk if you land quietly and move fast. A good stepping stone between delivery work and more dangerous mission types.

Bounty Hunting

You're tasked with eliminating a target — either an NPC or, at higher tiers, a player with a crime stat. NPC bounties (marked as AI targets) are relatively safe for beginners with a combat-capable ship and basic weapons loadout. Avoid player bounties until you're comfortable in combat — those targets fight back hard and unpredictably. Look for one-skull or two-skull bounties to start.

Bunker Missions

Ground-based FPS missions. You fly to a surface bunker, land nearby, and clear out hostile NPCs (Nine Tails gang, Reclaimers, and similar factions) from underground tunnels. You'll need an FPS loadout — armor, weapons, and medical gear. Bunker missions pay well and are great for players who enjoy first-person combat over space flying. Bring flashbangs and be ready for close-quarters fights.

Salvage Missions

Requires a dedicated salvage ship — either the Aegis Vulture (solo) or the MISC Reclaimer (crew). You fly to a wreck site, use the salvage beam to strip hull material (Raw Material Composites / RMC), and optionally collect salvageable ship components. Salvage is a solid passive-income loop but requires owning or renting the right ship. Not ideal as your very first mission type.

Mining Missions

These send you to mine specific ore types — either asteroid mining in space or ground mining on planet surfaces. You need a ship with a mining laser (like the Prospector or MOLE) or a ground vehicle with mining capability (the ROC). Mining missions give you a clear target to mine and pay a bonus on top of what you'd earn selling the ore directly. Good for mining-focused players who already have the hardware.

Best Starter Missions for New Players

If you're brand new to the game, start here:

1. Delivery missions first. Accept two or three delivery missions at once from the same station. Sort them by destination — if multiple deliveries are going to the same system or station cluster, you can chain them in a single trip and triple your pay with almost no extra travel time.
2. One-skull NPC bounties second. Once you're comfortable flying and have upgraded your starter ship's weapons slightly, try the lowest-difficulty bounty missions. The NPC ships put up minimal resistance and the payout per mission is noticeably higher than deliveries.
3. Bunker missions for FPS players. If you prefer on-foot combat to piloting, grab a one-skull or two-skull bunker mission. Bring your best armor, a rifle, and a medpen. The pay is competitive with bounties and you don't need a good ship.

About aUEC (alpha United Earth Credits): aUEC is the in-game currency you earn by completing missions in the Persistent Universe. It is separate from UEC, which is purchased with real money. aUEC resets between major patches (wipes), so don't stress about accumulating a fortune — focus on learning the systems and having fun. You'll rebuild your balance quickly once you know what you're doing.

Completing and Turning In

Star Citizen does not have a traditional "turn-in" step for most missions. When you complete the final objective — deliver the package, eliminate the target, collect the data — the mission resolves automatically. You'll see an on-screen notification confirming completion and the aUEC reward is deposited directly into your account with no extra steps required.

To check your aUEC balance, open your mobiGlas (F1) and navigate to the Transaction History section, or check your account balance on the personal tab. You can also see your current funds displayed in some shopping terminals around stations.

Once a mission is complete, it moves from the Active tab to the Completed tab in your Contract Manager. Failed missions (timer expired, wrong actions taken, etc.) appear in the Failed tab — no payment is given for failed missions.

Mission Givers (Kiosks and NPCs)

Not every mission comes from the digital Contract Manager. Some missions are dispensed through physical mission kiosks located at stations, space ports, and landing zones. Look for terminals labeled with faction names — for example, Crusader Security, Hurston Dynamics, or Advocacy kiosks in major stations like Area18, Lorville, or New Babbage.

These kiosk missions are often faction-specific and can contribute to your standing with that faction over time. Improving faction reputation unlocks higher-paying missions from that organization. If you want to specialize in one career — security, bounty hunting, delivery logistics — finding and consistently using the right faction kiosk is the path to better contracts.

Some storyline or event missions are also distributed through in-world NPCs at specific locations during live events — keep an eye on the official RSI comm-link for event announcements.

Tips for Earning aUEC Efficiently

• Stack delivery missions along the same route. Accept several delivery missions before you lift off. Sort them by destination — missions going to the same station or nearby locations can be chained in one trip, multiplying your earnings per flight hour dramatically.
• Avoid lawless space as a new player. Missions in Pyro, Nyx, and other unclaimed systems offer higher pay but far higher risk. Crime stats, piracy, and no hospital respawn safety net can end your session — and your ship — in a hurry. Stick to Stanton until you're comfortable.
• Watch your crime stat. If you kill non-hostile NPCs, destroy ships without justification, or complete certain grey-area missions, your crime stat rises. High crime stat means security forces will attack you on sight and you'll be locked out of major stations. Stay clean early on.
• Group up — pay multiplies. Many missions scale their reward based on party size. Running a bunker mission with friends pays each player a full or near-full cut. Bounty hunting in a wing of two or three ships makes tougher (and higher-paying) targets achievable with minimal risk.
• Difficulty scales reward. Don't chase three-skull and four-skull missions until you're geared for them. Getting killed and losing your ship costs more than the extra aUEC is worth. Work up the skull ladder gradually.
• Check mission timers before accepting. If a mission has a short timer and the destination is far away, you may not make it. Skip those until you're faster at navigation — failed missions are wasted time with zero pay.
• Use the Starmap (F2) to plan routes. Before accepting missions, open the Starmap and look at where the objectives are. Plan multi-mission trips in advance rather than flying back and forth.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Related guides: How to Quantum Travel • How to Call Your Ship • Getting Started in Star Citizen • Is Star Citizen Worth It?