R&D Department Level 59 is a late-game station mission in Star Trek Fleet Command with a single objective: upgrade your R&D Department to level 59. It needs only warp 1, and unlike the early station missions it carries a recommended level of 59, which matches the building level it asks for. The reward is 800 Ultra Recruit Tokens. The upgrade itself is the long part; the mission just pays out when it lands.
R&D Department Level 59 objectives
There is one objective and no choice split:
- Upgrade to R&D Department Level 59.
No system, hostile or donation is involved. The mission completes as soon as your R&D Department reaches level 59.
Where and what warp
Warp 1 to start and warp 1 to complete, with no pickup system. Everything happens on your station.
The recommended level is 59. In practice the building is the gate: the mission cannot finish until R&D Department 59 is built, and that upgrade has heavy requirements of its own.
R&D Department Level 59 rewards
The reward is 800 Ultra Recruit Tokens. In the game’s station mission chain, completing it unlocks the Science Lab Level 59 mission.
What R&D Department 59 costs
Current building data puts the upgrade at these resources, before any cost reductions:
| Resource | Amount |
|---|---|
| Parsteel | 30,880,100,000,000 |
| Dilithium | 47,304,000,000 |
| 5★ Common Refined Gas | 236,600 |
| 5★ Uncommon Refined Gas | 126,300 |
The unboosted build time is 2,749 days 20 hours 48 minutes, so speed ups matter far more than the raw timer. Before you can start, you need Operations 59, Academy 59 and Tritanium Vault 59.
Tritanium Vault 59 is the requirement that sets this level apart. R&D Department 58 and 60 only ask for Operations and Academy at the matching level.
How it compares with other R&D Department missions
The late R&D Department missions change reward type at level 51. Current game data:
| Mission | Recommended level | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| R&D Department Level 49 | 1 | 160 100K Dilithium Token, 60 8 Hour Speed Up |
| R&D Department Level 50 | 1 | 230 100K Dilithium Token, 60 8 Hour Speed Up |
| R&D Department Level 51 | 51 | 800 Ultra Recruit Token |
| R&D Department Level 53 | 53 | 800 Ultra Recruit Token |
| R&D Department Level 57 | 57 | 800 Ultra Recruit Token |
| R&D Department Level 59 | 59 | 800 Ultra Recruit Token |
From level 51 onwards the reward stays flat at 800 Ultra Recruit Tokens while the upgrade cost keeps climbing, so these missions are a steady bonus rather than a reason to rush.
Tips
Check Tritanium Vault first. It is the one requirement that does not appear at the neighbouring levels, and it is easy to overlook until the upgrade refuses to start.
The R&D Department raises research speed with every level, reaching 245% at level 60, so this upgrade pays off in faster research as well as the tokens.
Other station and story missions sorted by level are on the mission guide.
