The Frontiers update for No Man's Sky added many new things for you to sink your time into throughout space. One of the best new items added in the Frontiers update is Navigation Data, which is a Curiosity item that you can trade to NPCs within the Universe.
There are a few notable ways to collect Navigation Data in No Man's Sky, including by purchasing it from trade terminals if you don't want to find it yourself. Here's everything you need to know about Navigation Data, where to find it, and why it's incredibly useful.
Updated April 30, 2023, by Sean Murray: It's a big universe out there, so it's important to know where you're going. Navigation Data can help a lot, so we've updated this guide with a few formatting tweaks for greater readability.
What Can You Do With Navigation Data?
Navigation Data is exactly what you'd expect it to be; it's data that contains specifics about a particular planetary region. Navigation Data is considered a Curiosity item, and you can sell it to a Cartographer on Space Stations in exchange for settlement locations and star charts.
You can also sell Navigation Data for 1000 Units each.
How To Get Navigation Data
Navigation Data is useful because of the items you can trade it for, so you should try to collect as much of it as you can. Here are the best ways to find Navigation Data in No Man's Sky.
Purchase Navigation Data From Galactic Trade Terminals
Galactic Trade Terminals allow you to purchase items that you would otherwise have to collect yourself. The price varies between items while using a Galactic Trade Terminal since items come with different levels of usefulness and rarity.
Galactic Trade Terminals can be found on Space Stations and can also be constructed in Freighters and bases.
You can purchase Navigation Data by using a Trade Terminal, which is a quicker way of obtaining it than finding the data by yourself, as long as you have the necessary in-game funds. However, there are also many ways to collect Navigation Data if you don't want to spend your precious resources on something that you can find by exploring.
While aboard Space Stations, you can also find Encrypted Data near the Cartographer, which may grant Navigation Data. The data usually appears as an orange cube.
Cargo Drops
Cargo Drops are common throughout the Universe, and there's a chance of finding a Red Barrel in a Cargo Drop. Red Barrels contain Navigation Data, but you may also encounter other types of Cargo Drops instead.
You can find Cargo Drops by using your Analysis Visor while close to a planet's surface. If you find a Red Barrel, then you can open it with an Atlas Pass V1. You can acquire an Atlas Pass V1 through the main storyline while interacting with a character named Polo.
Ancient Data Structures
Ancient Data Structures are a great way to find Navigation Data because they're relatively common. You can find Ancient Data Structures by using your Analysis Visor to search for a yellow icon shaped like a star.
You may instead receive Drop Pod Coordinate Data by collecting Ancient Data Structures, so you won't obtain Navigation Data every time.