Scanning

The sensor array reveals what a star system contains. Each scan surfaces contacts: asteroid belts to mine, hostiles to engage, wrecks to salvage, and anomalies to investigate.

Scan range and resolution improve with better sensor modules and the Scanning skills - wider sweeps reveal higher-tier signatures that weak sensors miss. Nothing else in the loop can start until a scan finds a target: you cannot mine, fight, or salvage what you have not detected.