Space Operations

Launch Your First Freighter

This tutorial takes you from an empty console to a freighter in the Sol–Centauri warp lane. It is made up entirely of steps, so the steps themselves are what shows up in "On this page".

Provision a Docking Bay

Every shipment leaves from a docking bay. Claim one in the region closest to your cargo so the manifest doesn't have to cross a customs boundary before it's even sealed.
```
Code
cosmocargo bays create --region sol-belt --name first-freighter
```
Bay names are galaxy-unique. If the name is taken, the CLI suggests the next free one.

Register Your Cargo

Describe what you're shipping. The mass and hazard class decide which hulls the router will consider, so getting them right here saves a rejection at the spaceport later.

Code
const cargo = await cosmocargo.cargo.register({
  bay: "first-freighter",
  items: ["hydroponics-module", "spare-coolant"],
  weight: "1200kg",
  hazardClass: "none",
});

Plot a Warp Lane

Ask the router for a lane between your origin and destination. It returns every lane that can carry your cargo, cheapest first.
```
Code
cosmocargo lanes plot --from earth --to centauri-prime --cargo $CARGO_ID
```
Lanes through the Kuiper corridor close during solar maximum. The router hides them automatically, but a pinned lane id will start failing — plot fresh lanes each run.
Seal the Manifest

Sealing freezes the cargo list and signs it. Nothing can be added after this point, so run your inventory check first.
```
Code
cosmocargo manifests seal --cargo $CARGO_ID
```
Launch and Track

With a sealed manifest the freighter is cleared for departure. Launch it, then follow the quantum-entangled telemetry feed until it drops out of warp.
```
Code
cosmocargo launch --manifest $MANIFEST_ID --watch
```
Your first freighter is away. 🚀

Last modified on September 15, 2026

Shipping Process Manifest Guide