An Elite Dangerous pilot who was stranded in the void beyond the galaxy has been rescued by a group of interstellar breakdown mechanics. Commander Deluvian was stuck in space, 141 lightyears from the galactic disc players normally try to stick to, all because he d sipped too greedily from one of his fuel tanks. But as we reported last week, a rescue mission was underway, with several fellow pilots scrambling to refill his tanks and bring him home. Well, over the weekend those Fuel Rats reached him. They refuelled him and got him back to the nearest star. Mission successful. Good work, everyone.

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A pilot in Elite Dangerous has been stranded in the deep black void beyond the known galaxy for months. The adventurous pilot, commander Deluvian Reyes Cruz , zoomed off the edge of the galactic disc in an attempt to set a new record and become the person who has travelled the furthest distance from Sol. But when he was nearing the point of no return, he sipped too greedily from his fuel tank. 42 days into his journey and he was now stranded, with not enough fuel to make the jump back. He’s been floating out there since November last year.

But now, there’s a rescue mission afoot. Five pilots of the Fuel Rats (a group dedicated to saving marooned commanders) have been heading out to the explorer on a 600-hour rescue mission. It’s their most ambitious rescue yet, and they re due to complete it this weekend.

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Two weeks ago, a fleet of over 13,000 players of Elite Dangerous set out on a long journey to cross the galaxy. Our flyboy Corey Milne was among them.>

Asteroid bases always make me feel uneasy. We re sitting inside a hollowed-out rock, with a single entry gate separating our fragile, oxygen-dependent bodies from the cold vacuum of space. It just doesn t sit well with me. Yet for myself and thousands of other commanders, the Omega Mining Operation is one of the last safe harbours we may see for a very long time. Two weeks ago, on the 13th January 3305, nearly 9700 commanders took off from the Pallaeni system as part of the Distant Worlds 2 expedition, according to traffic logs. They were all headed to the edge of galaxy. But that s 65,000 light years away from Earth, and I m getting ahead of myself. Right now I m cradling a lukewarm mug of synti-caf in an asteroid s makeshift cafeteria (a cup of bland Tesco Gold in my living room) equal parts excited and terrified at the journey ahead.

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Space is big, we re often told. But it s also a bit of a dick. Over 30 ships are reported to have perished in one star system, known as The View, just days into a months-long expedition organised by Elite Dangerous players. This star system is called ‘The View’ because you can get some stunning galactic photos from one of its planets. But that planet also harbours a hidden danger for those seeking space selfies: a gravity three times that of earth. As a result, unprepared space instagrammers have been crashing onto the surface and perishing in a ball of flames.

What a tragedy. But hey, at least there s a lot of people there to catch it on film.

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Over 12,000 intrepid explorers are signed up for a months-long journey to the edge of the galaxy in Elite: Dangerous, starting today. Across 16 weeks, the player-organised Distant Worlds 2 expedition will pass through the centre of the Milky Way, stopping to build a science station to study a black hole, then carry on through to the far edge of the galaxy. The journey has quite a casual pace, giving players one week to reach each waypoint of the journey, and a number of groups are roleplaying stories and activities to keep things interesting. You can join in yourself, and of course loads of folks plan to livestream their adventures.

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