The Space Elevator is the largest structure you can build in Satisfactory. It’s directly linked to your employer FICSIT in orbit and helps you learn more about the planet while transporting materials more efficiently. You’ve already built it and completed Phase 1 to unlock Tier 3 and Tier 4 milestones. If you followed our previous guides, you should have finished those by now. However, Tier 5 and Tier 6 are again gated behind expanding the Elevator, so you’ll need to take care of that next. Phase 2 is noticeably more demanding and requires several items that are harder to mass-produce—this guide breaks them down simply.
Satisfactory Space Elevator Phase 2: Infrastructure and planning
To expand the Space Elevator, you’ll need materials you only unlock in Tier 3 and Tier 4. Their production takes time, so it’s worth putting serious thought into your factory layout.
For Phase 2 you need:
- 1000x Smart Plating
- 1000x Versatile Framework
- 100x Automated Wiring
The two materials you need a thousand of will cost you the most time. It’s therefore crucial to either scale up your factory or keep yourself busy with other tasks while they build up.
Also check the AWESOME Shop and the MAM for potential advantages. In the AWESOME Shop you can buy new Foundations and better Logistics to optimize a production line (Satisfactory AWESOME Sink & Shop: How to farm coupons fast) . The MAM research pays off for alternate recipes that can let you skip or simplify parts of the following sections (Satisfactory MAM Guide: Research, Hard Drives & Best Recipes) .
On top of that, make use of your Tier 3 and Tier 4 upgrades:
- Expand your coal power to ensure enough electricity.
- Use Trucks if you have separate stations.
- Use Mk. 3 conveyor belts for faster transport.
Smart Plating in Satisfactory: Scale up production
You already needed Smart Plating for Phase 1—just 50 units, though. One thousand is far more involved, so it’s worth expanding this production line. With a single setup, producing everything would take around 16 hours.
Smart Plating only requires iron, but you’ll split it into two lines. Produce Iron Plates on one line and Iron Rods on the other. Convert Rods into Screws. Combine Screws and Plates into Reinforced Iron Plates, and convert some Screws and Rods into Rotors. These two products then combine in the Assembler to make Smart Plating.
For this section, alternate recipes from the MAM can really pay off. Look for:
- Screws directly from Iron Ingots instead of Iron Rods
- Improved recipes for Iron Plates
- Reinforced Iron Plates using Wire
Crafting Versatile Framework: Optimize steel production and frames
The most time‑consuming part of this phase is producing 1000 Versatile Framework. You unlock it with Tier 3 and Basic Steel Production, and it requires multiple inputs to assemble—which can take a while. At the same time, you’ll be laying the foundation for your later factory, since steel production underpins many future milestones and phases.
- On one side, produce Steel Ingots from Coal and Iron Ore. Convert these into Steel Beams, which you’ll use later.
- On the other side, smelt Iron Ore into Iron Ingots and split into two lines: produce Iron Plates and Iron Rods. Convert Rods into Screws and combine with Plates into Reinforced Iron Plates. Then make Modular Frames. Finally, combine the Steel Beams and Modular Frames into Versatile Framework.
Helpful alternate recipes to simplify this include:
- Bolted Frame (Modular Frames with extra Screws)
- Solid Steel Ingot (Iron Ingots + Coal)
- Other Steel Ingot variants to fit your inputs
You’ll also need Versatile Framework in later phases, so it’s wise to produce it in bulk. The MAM can help here too—use Power Slugs to unlock Overclocking and boost your throughput significantly.
Crafting Automated Wiring: Efficient Stators and Cable
In Tier 4 and Advanced Steel Production, you unlock the final component for the Space Elevator. Automated Wiring is quick and straightforward to produce, even with just one line. You only need 100 units, which is far more manageable than the previous materials.
Your inputs here are Iron, Coal, and Copper. Turn Copper Ore into Ingots, then Wire, then Cable—you likely already have this chain in your factory. From Iron and Coal, produce Steel, then make Steel Pipes. Combine Pipes and Wire in the Assembler to craft Stators. Then combine Stators with Cable to make Automated Wiring.
This part of Phase 2 is quite simple, but you’ll only unlock it near the end of Tier 4. By then, your Smart Plating and Versatile Framework lines should be running at full tilt. You don’t necessarily need a full dedicated line here—crafting 100 Automated Wiring by hand from 2000 Cable and 100 Stators can be enough. You’ll likely have these materials on hand already.
Conclusion: Finish Space Elevator Phase 2 and reach Tiers 5 and 6
The Space Elevator is a crucial hub during your Satisfactory journey. It defines how far ahead you can build and which milestones become available next. With Phase 2 complete, you can focus on Tier 5 and Tier 6. The Smart Plating and especially the Versatile Framework production lines remain important for later phases. The remaining Automated Wiring can be crafted by hand if needed.
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