“Your mining lasers stop when you log off. Your planets keep working.”

Planetary Industry (commonly called PI) is one of the easiest ways to earn passive ISK in EVE Online. Once set up, your colonies continue producing materials while you’re flying fleets, exploring, running missions, or even while you’re offline.

Many industrial products in New Eden—from fuel blocks to structures—depend on Planetary Industry. Learning the basics early can provide a reliable source of income throughout your EVE career.

This guide explains how Planetary Industry works, how to get started, and how LSE recommends new pilots approach it.

What is Planetary Industry?

Planetary Industry allows you to build colonies on planets and extract raw materials.

These materials are then processed into increasingly valuable products that can be:

Sold on the market.
Used in manufacturing.
Used to build fuel blocks.
Used in structure production.
Used in advanced industry.

Unlike mining, PI continues producing resources even when you’re offline.

Why Should New Pilots Use PI?

Planetary Industry offers several advantages:

Passive income.
Low ongoing effort.
No expensive ships required.
Scales well as your skills improve.
Supports manufacturing and industry.

Many experienced industrialists consider PI to be one of the best long-term income sources for relatively little daily effort.

How Planetary Industry Works

Every colony follows the same basic process.

Step 1 – Choose a Planet

Different planets produce different resources.

Examples include:

Planet Type	Common Products
Barren	Base Metals, Noble Metals
Gas	Aqueous Liquids, Noble Gas
Lava	Heavy Metals, Felsic Magma
Oceanic	Water, Micro Organisms
Plasma	Heavy Metals, Noble Metals
Storm	Ionic Solutions, Suspended Plasma
Temperate	Autotrophs, Industrial Fibers
Ice	Heavy Water, Noble Gas

Each planet type has unique resources, so choose one that produces the materials you need.

Step 2 – Build a Command Center

Every colony begins with a Command Center.

The Command Center acts as the foundation of your colony and provides the power and CPU needed to build additional structures.

Step 3 – Place an Extractor Control Unit

Extractors gather raw materials from the planet.

You’ll scan the planet to locate resource hotspots before placing your extractor.

The richer the hotspot, the better your production.

Step 4 – Build Storage

Extracted materials need somewhere to go.

Storage Facilities and Launchpads hold your products before they are processed or exported.

Launchpads are particularly useful because they also allow easy import and export of goods.

Step 5 – Build Basic Industry Facilities

Basic Industry Facilities convert raw materials (P0) into processed materials (P1).

For example:

Base Metals → Reactive Metals

This is the first step in the manufacturing chain.

Step 6 – Create Supply Routes

Planetary buildings do not automatically share resources.

You must create routes that move materials between:

Extractors
Storage
Factories
Launchpads

Without routes, nothing will be produced.

Understanding PI Products

Planetary Industry products are grouped into processing tiers.

Tier	Name	Example
P0	Raw Resources	Base Metals
P1	Basic Commodities	Reactive Metals
P2	Refined Commodities	Mechanical Parts
P3	Specialized Commodities	Robotics Components
P4	Advanced Commodities	Broadcast Node

Higher-tier products are generally worth more but require additional factories and planning.

Skills You’ll Need

Planetary Industry has relatively few required skills.

Command Center Upgrades

Increases the power and CPU available on each colony.

Higher levels allow larger and more productive colonies.

Recommended: IV

Interplanetary Consolidation

Allows you to control additional planets.

Skill Level	Colonies
I	2
II	3
III	4
IV	5
V	6

Recommended: IV initially, V later.

Planetology

Improves the accuracy of resource scanning.

Better scans make it easier to locate rich extraction areas.

Advanced Planetology

Further improves scanning accuracy.

Useful once you begin optimising colonies.

Choosing Extraction Cycles

Extractors can run for different lengths of time.

Short Cycles

Advantages:

Highest production.
Best efficiency.

Disadvantages:

Require frequent attention.

Long Cycles

Advantages:

Less maintenance.
Better for casual players.

Disadvantages:

Lower hourly production.

Many LSE members prefer 2 to 4-day cycles, balancing good output with minimal upkeep.

Hauling Your Products

Eventually your Launchpad fills up.

You’ll need to:

Warp to the Customs Office.
Transfer goods into your ship.
Haul them to station.
Sell or manufacture with them.

Ships commonly used include:

Industrial haulers
Deep Space Transports
Blockade Runners (for dangerous space)

Planetary Industry in High Security Space

High-sec PI is the easiest place to learn.

Advantages:

Safe.
Easy logistics.
Nearby markets.

Disadvantages:

Lower resource density.
Higher competition.

Despite lower output, high-sec PI can still provide excellent passive income for new pilots.

Planetary Industry in Low, Null and Wormhole Space

As you become more experienced, PI becomes even more profitable.

Lower-security space generally offers:

Richer resource deposits.
Higher production.
Better long-term profits.

However, these benefits come with greater risk and more demanding logistics.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Avoid these common errors:

Building colonies without enough power.
Forgetting to create routes.
Letting extractors sit idle.
Ignoring storage capacity.
Building advanced factories before understanding the basics.
Forgetting to collect finished products.

The most profitable colony is the one that’s actually producing.

LSE Recommendations

At Last Stand Enterprises we recommend that new pilots:

Start with two or three simple extraction colonies.
Focus on producing P1 commodities before attempting more advanced products.
Upgrade Interplanetary Consolidation early to unlock more colonies.
Use Launchpads as your primary storage hub.
Restart extractor programs regularly to maintain production.
Expand into more advanced PI once you’re comfortable with the basics.

Planetary Industry works best when it complements your other activities rather than replacing them.

PI and Mining – A Perfect Combination

Mining and Planetary Industry work extremely well together.

A typical LSE pilot might:

Join a mining fleet.
Restart their planetary extractors.
Sell yesterday’s PI products.
Haul ore to the Ore Buyback Programme.
Queue the next round of skills.

Together, mining and PI provide a steady and diversified income stream while supporting New Eden’s industrial economy.

Final Thoughts

Planetary Industry rewards consistency more than constant attention. Spending just a few minutes every couple of days restarting extractors and collecting products can generate a dependable source of ISK for months or even years.

Start small, learn how colonies work, and expand gradually as your skills improve. Before long, your planets will be quietly earning ISK while you’re out mining, exploring, or fighting with your corporation.

Remember: the most productive colony is the one that keeps working—even when you’re not.