Satisfactory Progression: Tiers, Milestones & Space Elevator
A Satisfactory 1.2 progression roadmap explaining how HUB milestones, tiers and Space Elevator Project Assembly phases fit together from onboarding to Tier 9.
Satisfactory progression combines Milestones at the HUB Terminal with Project Assembly deliveries through the Space Elevator. Understanding how those systems interact helps you decide when to expand production and when a rebuild is actually worthwhile.
How progression works
Milestones are grouped into tiers and unlock buildings, recipes, equipment and upgrades. Tier 0 is the onboarding sequence. Completing Tier 0 unlocks Tiers 1 and 2. Completing Project Assembly phases through the Space Elevator opens later groups of milestone tiers.
Tier 0: Onboarding
The HUB upgrades are completed sequentially and establish the basic automation chain. By the end of onboarding you have core early production buildings, Miner Mk.1, storage, biomass power and the Space Elevator.
Tiers 1–2: Factory foundations
Tier 1 adds foundations, improved logistics and the MAM. Tier 2 Part Assembly unlocks the Assembler and Smart Plating, introducing multi-input production and the first Project Part.
Project Assembly
Project Parts are delivered to the Space Elevator. Completing each required phase advances the main progression and opens later milestone tiers. The recurring loop is simple: unlock technology, expand production, automate Project Parts and complete the next Space Elevator phase.
Project Assembly checklist: standard 1× delivery costs
For a standard game using the default 1× Project Assembly delivery multiplier, the Space Elevator requires the following parts. Players who selected a different delivery-cost multiplier should use the actual quantities shown in their save.
Phase 1: unlock Tiers 3 and 4
- 50 Smart Plating.
- Each Assembler running the standard Smart Plating recipe consumes 2 Reinforced Iron Plates/min and 2 Rotors/min, producing 2 Smart Plating/min.
- At that uninterrupted output, one Assembler takes 25 minutes to make the 50 parts. Two Assemblers take 12.5 minutes with sufficient upstream supply.
Phase 2: unlock Tiers 5 and 6
- 1,000 Smart Plating
- 1,000 Versatile Framework
- 100 Automated Wiring
Keep some early component lines running while developing steel production. This delivery is a significant jump from Phase 1, and temporary handcrafting will not replace dedicated Project Part automation.
Phase 3: unlock Tiers 7 and 8
- 2,500 Versatile Framework
- 500 Modular Engine
- 100 Adaptive Control Unit
By this point, separate supply factories, reliable steel and oil production, and dependable power are more useful than one increasingly crowded starter floor.
Phase 4: unlock Tier 9
- 500 Assembly Director System
- 500 Magnetic Field Generator
- 250 Thermal Propulsion Rocket
- 100 Nuclear Pasta
Track each component as a separate production objective, with a consistent storage and transport route to the Space Elevator. Ensure power capacity is sufficient before switching on all endgame machines.
Phase 5: launch Project Assembly
The final delivery consists of 1,000 Nuclear Pasta, 1,000 Biochemical Sculptors, 256 AI Expansion Servers and 200 Ballistic Warp Drives. The last phase completes Project Assembly rather than unlocking another milestone tier.
What to do when the next tier stays locked
- Check the HUB Terminal to confirm that all available milestones in your current tiers have been completed where needed.
- Inspect the Space Elevator's outstanding Project Part requirements. Simply manufacturing or storing the parts does not complete a delivery.
- Transport the required quantity to the Space Elevator, then complete its delivery to open the next tier group.
- If production stops, inspect upstream ingredients, blocked outputs, belt throughput and available power before building more machines.
These are standard 1× game requirements, not speedrun targets. Source: the official Satisfactory Wiki's Space Elevator and phase requirements and Smart Plating recipe. All timings above assume uninterrupted machines at 100% clock speed and adequate input rates.
Tiers 3–4: Coal and steel
After Project Assembly Phase 1, Tiers 3 and 4 become available. This stage introduces coal power and steel progression, while Tier 4 includes improved logistics, advanced steel production and the Blueprint Designer Mk.1.
Tiers 5–6: Oil and expanded manufacturing
This stage introduces Crude Oil processing, Plastic, Rubber, Fuel power and increasingly complex manufacturing and logistics. Dedicated production sites and better transport planning become more valuable as factory chains become more interconnected.
Tiers 7–8: Aluminium and advanced production
Tier 7 Bauxite Refinement introduces the aluminium production chain. These later tiers expand into more advanced materials, machines and power requirements, making robust transport and scalable production increasingly important.
Tier 9 and late game
The current milestone progression runs through Tier 9. Late-game production uses increasingly advanced components and infrastructure, so scalable logistics becomes as important as raw production capacity.
Progress efficiently
Automate materials that are repeatedly consumed by construction, milestones or Project Assembly. Expand enough to keep progression moving, then rebuild when new miners, belts, blueprints or production technology provide a meaningful improvement.