How to export?

[Shadowhawk]

I have rare metals in my inventory. How are they exported? Thanks.

[cap-boulanger]

They will be automatically loaded onto your rocket if you send it back to Earth.

Assuming of course that the drones in the area of the rocket are active and have the range to grab the rare metals from a storage that has some.

There is also a toggle button (for each rocket) to allow or forbid exports. But it defaults to allow.

[chic.aeon]

Keep in mind if this is early in the game that drones will load rare metals on a rocket automatically and that each return trip of the rocket will take up FUEL (the amount depends on what you have researched in the research tree) so sending back rockets without a full payload (30 rare metals) may not be the best plan. Even if the rocket has rare metals in its cargo hold you can turn export off in the rocket menu and the drones will take the metals back to storage.

You need fuel for the shuttles as well as rockets so you if you use it on rockets you may not have enough for the shuttles to fly. ***** This all depends on the individual game and where you are IN that game. **** You also need rare metals to make electronic which are needed for buildings and for maintenance. So it can be a balancing act even as the game progresses far into the future.

Later in the game you can use the space elevator to export the rare metals (or not if you turn that option off). They will automatically try to export 100 when you order in supplies. If you don't watch that carefully you can easily be out of rare metals and those cannot be IMPORTED.

If you need money -- the TV station is a gold mine in long range terms. It is in one of the dome packs of extra buildings. I personally don't think it is great thing to use at the beginning even though it is up top in the research tree, but when your colony has some population (it employs 36 people) it is great for both getting people employed in a very small space (just one pie piece) AND it periodically sends money back to earth automatically. Now and then it is a large chunk of change. I currently have more than $750K in credit that I will never be able to use :D. Most of that came from the TV stations.