Hello everyone, xē'suelen nyahyan

What a week it's been! Alpha 4.8: Tactical Strike has officially launched, and if you haven't already rallied your crew, now is the time. Tactical Strike Groups are designed from the ground up around cooperation, and every role matters. Fighters clear the approach, bombers knock out defensive systems, dropships put boots on the ground, and capital ships keep the whole fleet alive, armed, and fueled. Whether you're a skilled pilot, a mechanic servicing ships, a mercenary expert in exfiltrating VIPs, a gunner neutralizing targets or simply an adventurer not afraid of taking rounds to the knee, there's a place for you in the operation.

To help everyone get up to speed, we've also released a dedicated Tactical Strike Groups FAQ, and a developer Q&A diving into Alpha 4.8's biggest additions — well worth a read before you deploy. And if you're looking for a crew, head over to the new LFG lobby on Spectrum, where fellow Citizens are already organizing for the push into Nyx.

Beyond the cooperative combat experience, Alpha 4.8 brings some serious improvements to large-scale spacefaring. Dedicated service ships can now support other vessels directly from their flight decks using physicalized resources stored in their cargo grids: Ship Hangar Service T0, a huge step for logistics gameplay. On top of that, new refueling missions let pilots keep each other moving across the vast stretches of the 'verse. Dive into the full Patch Notes to see everything that dropped with 4.8.

A quick but important note: Alpha 4.8 launched with a comprehensive wipe. Earned aUEC, in-game purchased vehicles, items, resources, reputation progression, and Wikelo/Executive rewards have all been reset. This wipe is a meaningful step toward a more stable economy as new systems come online. Additional safeguards against exploits and duplication have also been put in place, with more improvements on the way.

On the VR front, we've rolled out an experimental VR Support update with improvements to interaction prompts, FPS crosshairs, hit markers, and general usability. If you're exploring the 'verse in VR, be sure to check it out and let us know what you think. And if you are into haptics and immersive hardware, check out our first Haptic System Support experimental release!

Meanwhile, DefenseCon 2956 is in full swing! With Invictus pulled back to Sol, Drake Interplanetary stepped up to host the galaxy's boldest arms expo at the Bevic Convention Center in Area18, and it's running until May 27. Tour manufacturer halls, take ships for free test flights, and earn free rewards with the Referral Bonus program and Twitch Drops available through participating streams.

The event has already introduced some fantastic ships: the Drake Ironclad and Ironclad Assault, the Drake Pitbull, the Origin M80, and the MISC Starlite. And in just a few days: the Aegis Tiburon makes its debut to make you beam! You can review all of these ships in our recent Star Citizen Live | DefenseCon Showcase. Any questions? Check out our DefenseCon New Ships Q&A. Finally, don't miss the Tobii Everyday Heroes Screenshot Contest: capture your best DefenseCon moments for a chance to win some of the event's newest ships and a Tobii Eye Tracker 5.

This past weekend, we attended the Bar Citizen in Basel, Switzerland, a community-organized gathering that brought together more than 200 citizens, from long-time veterans to plenty of new faces. It was great to meet so many of you in person, see some incredible fan creations, including a stunning full armor cosplay by BaharChan (featured below), and spend time just talking Star Citizen with the people who make this community worth being part of.

DefenseCon isn't done yet. Here's what's still ahead this week:

To kick off the week, this Monday, Days 5 and 6 put MISC, Mirai, Argo Astronautics, and Greycat Industrial in the spotlight. Alongside their showcase, the MISC Starlite officially released with an updated Q&A Comm-Link to go with it.

The Free Fly is also now live and running through May 27! We previously held off on kicking things off until we could get a variety of important fixes in, especially around missions and overall stability. Things are in a much better place, but the team is still focused on fixing remaining issues and continuing to monitor things closely. We want to give a huge shout out to everyone jumping in, sharing feedback, and reporting issues along the way. That feedback is incredibly valuable and sincerely appreciated. Thank you and keep the reports coming!

On Wednesday, Aegis takes the floor for Days 7 and 8, bringing with it the long-awaited debut of the Aegis Tiburon, plus its Q&A update for those hungry for details. We'll also be publishing a Roadmap Update, marking Alpha 4.8 cards as Released while we begin charting the path toward Alpha 4.9.

Friday hands the stage over to Crusader and Tumbril for Days 9 and 10, as DefenseCon begins its march toward the finale. The latest RSI Weekly Newsletter also lands in your inbox. If you’re not subscribed yet, you can sign up at any time through your account settings.

And to close out the week on Sunday, Star Citizen Live returns with a dedicated Q&A on the Anvil Odin, that massive battlecruiser currently looming over Area18's skyline like it owns the place. If you've had your eye on it, this is the one to catch.

a.thl'ē'kol, see you soon.

The Weekly Community Content Schedule

MONDAY, MAY 18

This Week in Star Citizen

Free Fly Starts

DefenseCon 2956 Day 5: MISC, Mirai, Argo Astronautics, and Greycat Industrial

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

DefenseCon 2956 Day 7: Aegis Dynamics

Roadmap Update

FRIDAY, MAY 22

DefenseCon 2956 Day 9: Crusader and Tumbril Land Systems

RSI Weekly Newsletter

SUNDAY, MAY 24

DefenseCon 2956 Day 11: Anvil Aerospace

Star Citizen Live: DefenseCon Showcase | Odin Battlecruiser (twitch.tv/starcitizen)

Vision quest truth

Smuggling Origin 300

We offer this World to the Galaxy as a place to study and a place to meet We offer this World to the Entity as a place to study and a place to meet Known locally as Pinecone, this Poisonous Main Sequence Dwarf is situated on the further edge of the green band and is often overlooked when compared to Kallis VI Damn right it is. Point is, no damn AI system's ever gonna be as good as an experienced Chief engineer

Known locally as The Hive, this High-pressure Coreless Planet is situated on the further edge of the green band and is often overlooked when compared to Kilian XIII "Maybe you should have a Engineer have a look at you. Be sure." said Hester Polaris A further investigation of the planet revealed a cache of Kr'Thak weapons and war machines. "We don't have anythCore." Ernst said. The Being didn't like that answer.

COMMUNITY MVP: May 18, 2026

We're constantly amazed at the contributions made by the Star Citizen community. Whether it's fan art, a cinematic, YouTube guide, or even a 3D print of your favorite ship, we love it all! Every week, we select one piece of content submitted to the Community Hub and highlight it here. The highlighted content creator will be awarded an MVP badge on Spectrum and be immortalized in our MVP section of the Hub.

Visit the Community Hub.

Golden Blossom Geist Cosplay

by BaharChan

BaharChan took on a new challenge and crafted the Golden Blossom Geist armor. The Arclight Pistol Executive Edition was 3D printed by"Sallin", a member of her community. We had the immense pleasure of discovering her cosplay alongside many of you during the Bar Citizen in Basel this past weekend. What a work of art!

Check it out now on the Community Hub.

And if you’re looking to tackle Tactical Strike Group, be sure to check out MrKraken’s new One-Page Guide for Alpha 4.8!

Top Images from the Community Hub

Don't forget to submit your content to our Community Hub for the chance to see it here!

Iro nclad Assault - EricTheFourier

The Pilot, Murray Cup Tailwind - CHONKRiDER

Legends Start Here - Draal Iskaldur

M80 Strike Attack - KellyHe63