Upgrade R&D Department to Level 40 is a station mission in Star Trek Fleet Command with one objective: bring your R&D Department to level 40. It runs at warp 1 from start to finish and the game lists a recommended level of 1, so the upgrade itself is the whole requirement. The reward is 10,000,000 Tritanium and four 3 Hour Repair Speed Ups, and finishing it unlocks the Shipyard level 40 mission. It is one of the larger Tritanium payouts in the R&D line.
Upgrade R&D Department to Level 40 objectives
The story line says the R&D Department unlocks additional upgrades for the Shipyard and ships. There is a single objective and no choice split:
- Upgrade R&D Department to Level 40.
No system, hostile or donation is involved. The mission completes the moment the R&D Department reaches level 40.
Where and what warp
Warp 1 to start and warp 1 to complete, with no pickup system. The mission happens entirely on your station.
The recommended level is listed as 1, but nothing completes until R&D 40 is built, so the upgrade is the real gate.
What the level 40 upgrade costs
Current game data for the R&D Department at level 40 and the milestones before it:
| Level | Cost | Build time (unboosted) | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 15.9M Parsteel, 117,000 Dilithium, 1,600 3★ Common Refined Gas, 330 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas | 4d 22h 12m | Operations 30, Academy 30, Tritanium Warehouse 28 |
| 35 | 137.3M Parsteel, 1.01M Dilithium, 3,100 3★ Common Refined Gas, 820 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas | 16d 0h 24m | Operations 35, Academy 35 |
| 40 | 3.44B Parsteel, 9.03M Dilithium, 50,000 4★ Common Refined Gas | 80d 19h 12m | Operations 40, Academy 40 |
Level 40 is the first of these to ask for 4★ refined gas, and the Parsteel bill is roughly 25 times the level 35 cost. You need Operations 40 and Academy 40 first. At level 40 the building’s research speed bonus reaches 111%, up from 89% at level 35.
Upgrade R&D Department to Level 40 rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tritanium | 10,000,000 |
| 3 Hour Repair Speed Up | 4 |
Completing it also unlocks the next station mission, Shipyard Level 40.
How level 40 compares with other R&D missions
Current game data for the R&D Department missions with published guides:
| Mission | Reward |
|---|---|
| Level 20 | 17,200 Tritanium, 2 × 10 Minute Repair Speed Up |
| Level 30 | 700,000 Tritanium, 1 × 1 Hour Repair Speed Up |
| Level 40 | 10,000,000 Tritanium, 4 × 3 Hour Repair Speed Up |
| Level 42 | 23 100K Dilithium Tokens, 50 × 8 Hour Speed Up |
Level 40 pays more than 14 times the Tritanium of level 30. By level 42 the reward has moved to Dilithium tokens and general speed ups instead.
Tips
Plan the start of this build. At over 80 days unboosted, level 40 is a long upgrade, and general speed ups saved from other missions are the way to trim it.
Use the Tritanium on the next milestones. Shipyard 40 comes next in the station line, and it costs 30.1M Tritanium on its own, so this reward covers a third of it.
The four 3 Hour Repair Speed Ups are best saved for a heavy combat day, when a big ship needs a long repair in a hurry.
Previous mission: Academy Level 40, which pays 800 Ultra Recruit Tokens. Next mission: Shipyard Level 40.
