Moon Sweepers automation guide: your first belt, Packager and robot

Prove the last belt into the station before buying machines

This setup follows the in-game Field Manual and DragDrop Games’ patch notes through 1.0.5. Use the balance check below to verify the route in your own save.

Make a manual sale first so you know where money appears. If you have just started, follow the first dust sale guide. Then buy the Building Tool at the supply wall, equip it and select Conveyor Belt in the build menu. The 1.0.5 references list $50 for the tool, $100 for a Packager and $0.50 per metre of belt. Leave room in your budget for the route length shown when building.

1. Pick a receiving port at the station, then place a short conveyor aimed into it. Check the belt arrows before placing the final section. The exit needs to meet the intake.
2. Pack and pick up one dust capsule. While carrying it, aim at the upstream part of the belt and use the placement prompt. The 1.0.3 patch explicitly added placement at the point you aim at.
3. Follow that capsule to the station. The success signal is both an empty belt end and a credit to your balance. DragDrop Games says dust and stone delivered by belt are paid on arrival. In co-op, ask the crew to pause other deliveries while you check.

If the capsule stops at the last segment, fix the intake before buying a machine. If you already placed machinery in the wrong spot, use Move Mode with the Building Tool. Patch 1.0.5 lets you place parts on dusty ground and move pieces without buying them again. Belts only follow moving ports where they can reach, so recheck each connection once the machine is down.

Feed the working route from a Packager

Place the Packager next to the patch you are sweeping. Connect its output to the part of the line you just proved. Sweep until your brush carries dust, then interact at the Packager to unload it. Watch for a raw dust capsule to leave the machine, follow the belt and pay at the intake. That one delivery confirms the whole route before you extend it. The Packager handles unloading and packaging after you supply the dust.

Switch from hand sweeping to a robot or vehicle feed

If you want to…	Feed the belt with…	What to watch
Keep sweeping by hand and walk less	Packager	Bring dust in the equipped tool and unload at the machine.
Have a robot cover nearby hexes	Robot Vacuum dock	Place the dock near uncleared ground. The robot brings dust back to the dock, which puts capsules on the belt. Check the dock’s status if the robot waits.
Empty a vehicle’s hopper	Garage collector pad and silo	Stop on the pad to unload the hopper into the silo, then check that the silo’s belt carries the capsules away.
Route a later J.O.O.N.A.S. build	Capsule Catcher	Connect the catcher’s output and check it can empty. Since 1.0.5, catchers within 100 metres of each other are grouped. The robot aims at the emptiest catcher in the nearest group, moving to the next group once all catchers in the first are above 80%.

A nearby dock is a practical place to start when you want cleaning to happen without you. Keep the same destination when you switch sources. Otherwise a delivery failure could come from the new collector or from the new intake.

Add a Pressure Chamber after raw dust sells reliably

Run the dust belt into the Pressure Chamber input, supply nearby solar power, then lead its output to the station. Follow a Moon Sand capsule from the output to the sale. The 1.0.5 machines reference lists 10 kW for full chamber power. Check available power while the machine is running, especially if it slows near sunset. Panel rating in full sunlight and power available in the dark can differ.

If you add a Stone Press, keep a raw-dust branch and feed Moon Sand into the other inlet. The community machine reference lists 1 kg of dust plus 1 kg of sand for one 2 kg Moon Stone block, with 18 kW at full power. If you send all raw dust through the chamber, the press will still need dust. Confirm both ingredients arrive before adding another press.

Fix a line by finding the last working step

Last thing that works	Next thing to inspect
The brush collects but the Packager sends nothing	Check whether you unloaded into the Packager and whether its output has a clear belt.
A capsule moves but piles up along the way	Check the next segment’s direction, alignment and height. Follow one capsule and fix the first stopped connection.
A capsule reaches the building but there is no payment	Check if it actually reaches the intake. Retest the final segment with one hand-placed capsule.
Dust enters production but no processed material leaves	Check the input material, free output space and nearby power. For a Stone Press, verify both inputs.
The line works by day and slows or stops after dark	Check the panels’ reach and stored energy. Compare the same machine with the same inputs in daylight.

In multiplayer, keep the baseline simple while another player builds the next branch. Patch 1.0.4 lets crewmates add splitters and mergers to belts built by others. If you need to back up a shared base before changing the main line, use the Moon Sweepers host and save guide.