Desert World

Arid desert worlds of baked red sand and iron-oxide rock hide extraordinary metal deposits beneath their surface. The geological process that stripped away water also concentrated metal ores into veins so dense that automated mining platforms can begin extraction within days of landing. Colonization requires sealed habitat domes and water reclamation technology, but the metal yield advantage over temperate worlds makes the infrastructure investment worthwhile for any empire prioritising ship construction. Crystal deposits are sparse but occasionally surface in ancient meteor craters.