Drone

Small aerial cargo drone: 1 thruster plus 2 modules.

How to obtain: The recipe unlocks when you complete Helios, Rotor Run. Requires the Basic Drone Operations research (Terraform Index 180,000). Fabricate a Drone (Small) on a Fabricator: 1× Rare Earth Core, 1× Titanium Ingot, 1× Control Unit, 2 t Water. Deploy from Inventory.

Access: self / get_component(id) · Like every component, exposes .id and .name.

Movement

.go_to_station(name) SELF ONLY

Queue a route to the named Drone Depot or Drone Service Station and return immediately without waiting for docking. An accepted powered route reports "traveling" immediately; position and docking advance after simulation advances. Stop, completion, or error cancels the flight and clears the route. Compare current_station() with the destination’s stable id to confirm arrival. Moving between drone buildings inside the same outpost is a local transfer and costs no flight fuel. Drone Service Stations accept parked arrivals even while unpowered. A full Drone Depot keeps the drone undocked in "waiting_bay" until a physical bay opens.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok" / "station_not_found" / "out_of_range" / "busy" (transient) / "scrambled" (transient)

.undock() SELF ONLY

Release the station berth without flying anywhere. The drone keeps its exact world position, cargo, modules, fuel, and exposure, clears any dormant route, resets throttle to 0, and becomes idle. An active rescue, or an active or queued Drone Service Station charge/refuel job, retains control until that station-owned work ends. Use go_to_station(...) when the drone should claim a berth again.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok" / "not_docked" / "busy" (transient)

.go_to_drill(name) SELF ONLY

Fly to a named field Mining Drill for ore pickup. Hauling needs no field module. The drone flies in a straight line and hovers on arrival. Compare current_drill() with the destination’s stable id to confirm that cargo loading is available. Stopping or completing the script, hitting an error, or calling go_to_station() cancels this route.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok" / "drill_not_found" / "out_of_range" / "busy" / "scrambled"

.go_to(x, y) SELF ONLY

Fly to any world coordinate as a base drone capability; no field module is required. The drone flies in a straight line and hovers on arrival. For Weather, pass the exact x and y assembled from checksum-valid storm packets.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok" / "invalid_target" / "out_of_bounds" / "out_of_range" / "busy" / "scrambled"

.current_station()

Stable station id where the drone is physically docked. Returns an empty string while flying to coordinates, traveling between stations, or waiting outside a full Drone Depot. Use equality with the destination id as the authoritative station-arrival check, even when go_to_station() was called with a display name.

Returns: String

.current_drill()

Stable Mining Drill id where the drone can currently load cargo, or an empty string when no Drill is available. The drone must be within the Drill’s loading area with no active route; merely passing over the Drill or holding a zero-throttle route does not count.

Returns: String

.position()

World coordinates (.x, .y), interpolated each tick during transit, snapped to station coords on dock.

Returns: Position

.get_distance_to(x, y)

Straight-line distance in meters from the drone’s current position to the given world coordinate. It measures geometry only and does not select a destination or account for available fuel.

Returns: Number (meters)

Power and fuel

.battery

Reads power on electric drones: level() (Wh), capacity(), percent() (0-1). These calls raise ReferenceError on a heli drone. In mixed fleets, check DroneRef.engine from fleet.drones() first. See DroneBattery.

.oil_tank

Reads fuel on heli drones: level() (tons), capacity(), percent(). These calls raise ReferenceError on an electric drone. See DroneOilTank.

.range_remaining()

Estimated flight distance in meters at the current energy and throttle. Electric burn is 5 Wh/h at full throttle; Heli burn is 5 t/h Oil. Both scale with throttle squared, so slower routes stretch range.

Returns: Number (meters)

.throttle()

Current throttle (0-1). Reads 0 after Stop, completion, or error.

Returns: Number (0-1)

.set_throttle(rate) SELF ONLY

Set throttle (0-1). At full throttle, electric drones fly 300 m/h using 5 Wh/h; Heli drones fly 900 m/h using 5 t/h Oil. Lower throttle reduces burn quadratically. Stop, completion, or error resets throttle to 0.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok"

Cargo and field work

.cargo

Manages mounted Cargo Pods and the Bio Extractor’s sealed chamber. Each pod holds one item type and unlatches when empty; the extractor chamber holds one life-form type and fills first. Use count(), contents(), capacity(), and space_for(item_id) to plan loads. load() and unload() work while docked at a Drone Depot; load() also works at a field Mining Drill or Lead Cask. Exact item properties are preserved. See DroneCargo.

.bio_scanner

PortableBioScanner. scan() requires the module, a completed route, and working electronics, and exposes the completed biological reading through BioScanResult.scan.

.bio_extractor

PortableBioExtractor. extract() requires a hovering, non-scrambled drone and uses its integrated 25 t one-life-form chamber plus any Cargo Pods.

.collect() SELF ONLY

Collect one weather aftermath batch at the drone’s exact current coordinate. A successful batch transfers at most 5 Storm Glass or Raw Uranium. Raw Uranium collection adds 40 exposure without Shield Plating and 0 with it; the batch is retained even if it reaches the scramble threshold.

Returns: CollectResult (payload .item_id, .collected) · Outcomes: "ok" / "moving" (transient) / "busy" (transient, biological extraction) / "nothing_here" / "no_cargo_space" / "scrambled" (transient)

Exposure

.exposure()

Current extraction exposure, from 0 to exposure_capacity(). It changes only when collecting Raw Uranium or receiving Service Station care; simply flying across a hidden aftermath is inert. A working drone docked at a powered Drone Service Station clears 10 per hour. At capacity the drone is scrambled and requires Service Station rescue.

Returns: Number

.exposure_capacity()

The 100 exposure scramble threshold. An unplated drone can collect two 5-unit batches safely; the third batch is retained and then scrambles it.

Returns: Number

.is_plated()

True with Shield Plating mounted. Plating reduces Raw Uranium extraction exposure to zero (and is required for hot-cargo loads from Lead Casks), halves each Cargo Pod’s capacity, and raises fuel burn 1.5× because lead is heavy.

Returns: Boolean

Hardware service

.couple(slot_index, module_id) SELF ONLY

Request a hardware service order from Inventory into an explicit whole-number slot: self.couple(0, "electric_thruster") for the thruster slot, or self.couple(1, "battery_pack") for a module slot. The drone must be docked at an operational Drone Depot. This dedicated-hardware exception does not expose ordinary Inventory freight at that outpost.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok" / "not_at_station" / "item_not_in_inventory" / "unknown_module" / "slot_not_compatible" / "slot_occupied" / "invalid_slot" / "locked" / "wrong_engine_for_module" / "cargo_capacity_exceeded"

.uncouple(slot_index) SELF ONLY

Request a hardware service order that returns the module in an explicit slot to Inventory: self.uncouple(1). The drone must be docked at an operational Drone Depot. Cargo Pods must be empty before removal, and Shield Plating cannot be removed while Raw Uranium or Fuel Rod cargo remains aboard. Fuel-bearing modules preserve their contents.

Returns: ActionResult · Outcomes: "ok" / "invalid_slot" / "module_not_mounted" / "not_at_station" / "cargo_capacity_exceeded" / "container_not_empty" / "hot_cargo_requires_plating" / "inventory_full"

Status

.status()

Current operational activity for progress and blocker handling, not an arrival test. "idle" can mean docked, hovering at a field coordinate, or holding a queued route at zero throttle; charging or refueling can begin immediately after docking. "waiting_bay" means the drone reached a full Depot but is not docked, "holding_weather" is a temporary heli hold, and stalled or scrambled states need intervention. Use current_station() or current_drill() to confirm arrival.

Returns: One of "idle" / "traveling" / "charging" / "refueling" / "waiting_service" / "waiting_oil" / "waiting_bay" / "being_rescued" / "holding_weather" / "scrambled" / "stalled_no_battery" / "stalled_no_oil" / "stalled_no_route"

.is_being_rescued()

True while a Drone Service Station is actively servicing or carrying this drone. Use this to pause route scripts while the rescue vehicle has control.

Returns: Boolean

.rescue_status()

Current recovery mission phase: "none", "outbound", "charging", "carrying", or "returning". "returning" means the recovery vehicle is heading home and the drone is no longer under rescue control.

Returns: String

Command mailbox

peek_command() · next_command() · command_count() · clear_commands() (SELF ONLY): see Script Commands.

See also

• Drones: the system guide (deployment, thrusters, hot cargo)
• Weather System: aftermath collection
• Biosphere Biomass Tier: bio scanning and extraction routes