R&D Department Level 48 is a late-game station mission in Star Trek Fleet Command with one objective: upgrade your R&D Department to level 48. It starts and finishes at warp 1, the game lists a recommended level of 1, and the upgrade is the entire mission. The reward is 120 100K Dilithium Tokens and 60 8 Hour Speed Ups, which is 12 million Dilithium and 480 hours of speed ups. It sits between Ship Hangar Level 47 and Shipyard Level 48 in the station sequence.
R&D Department Level 48 objectives
The story line simply restates the task. There is one objective and no choice split:
- Upgrade to R&D Department Level 48.
No system, hostile or donation is involved. The mission clears when the R&D Department reaches level 48.
Where and what warp
Warp 1 to start and warp 1 to complete, with no pickup system. The recommended level is listed as 1, but the level 48 upgrade is the actual gate.
What R&D Department 48 costs
Current game data lists the level 48 upgrade at:
The unboosted build time is 843 days 12 hours 48 minutes. It requires Operations 48 and Academy 48.
The mission’s 12 million Dilithium in tokens is a small slice of the 189M Dilithium the upgrade itself needs, and the 480 hours of speed ups cover 20 days of that build time.
R&D Department Level 48 rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| 100K Dilithium Token | 120 |
| 8 Hour Speed Up | 60 |
Completing this mission unlocks Shipyard Level 48.
How it compares with other R&D missions in the 40s
| Mission | 100K Dilithium Tokens | 8 Hour Speed Ups |
|---|---|---|
| R&D Department Level 45 | 70 | 60 |
| R&D Department Level 46 | 80 | 60 |
| R&D Department Level 47 | 100 | 60 |
| R&D Department Level 48 | 120 | 60 |
| R&D Department Level 49 | 160 | 60 |
| R&D Department Level 50 | 230 | 60 |
The speed ups stay at 60 through this stretch, while the Dilithium Tokens climb each level, faster from 48 onward. From level 51 the reward switches to 800 Ultra Recruit Tokens instead.
What level 48 does for research
The R&D Department raises your research speed with each level. The bonus is 137% at level 45 and 170% at level 50, and level 48 sits between those two anchors.
Where it sits in the station sequence
The mission before this one is Ship Hangar Level 47, which pays 37,875,000 Tritanium and 38 1M Tritanium Tokens. After R&D Department 48 comes Shipyard Level 48.
Tips
Refine the 4★ gas early. 12,000 Uncommon and 5,000 Rare Refined Gas take a long time to build up.
Use the 8 Hour Speed Ups on the next long build rather than spreading them thin. Sixty of them is 20 days of time. More station missions are on the mission guide.
