You cannot buy the Constellation Mk V Centaurus yet. It is the headline new ship in Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2, and across r/StarCitizen the most common post this week is some version of "SELL ME THE MK5 ALREADY." Right now there is exactly one way to fly it: a free, five-day rental you earn by completing a single contract during the live RSI Discovery Month event. This guide covers how to unlock that rental, what the Centaurus actually is, how it differs from the old Mk IV, and when CIG is expected to let you own one.
Quick answer: As of Alpha 4.10.2 (live since October 9, 2026, build `4.10.2-LIVE.12881860`), the Constellation Mk V Centaurus is not purchasable — not with aUEC in-game and not on the pledge store. The only way to fly it is to complete the Constellation Rental Offer contract, found in the Transport missions of the RSI Discovery Month event in Stanton. Completing it once grants a five-day rental of the Centaurus and the RSI Skylark snub. Discovery Month runs through late October 2026 (CIG's FAQ lists October 20), so the window to earn the rental is short. The Centaurus is a four-crew medium freight / gunship with 240 SCU of cargo — effectively an angrier, bigger Constellation Mk IV in RSI's new design language. A buyable version is expected around the next major patch (4.11), which CIG has not dated. Discovery Month is not a Free Fly, so a Game Package is still required, and aUEC remains test currency that can be wiped at any patch with no reimbursement.
How do you get the Constellation Mk V Centaurus right now?
You earn it. In Alpha 4.10.2 the Centaurus is tied to a specific event contract, not a store listing. Here is the exact path:
- Make sure you are on 4.10.2 LIVE. Your launcher should read `4.10.2-LIVE.12881860`. If it still shows a 4.10.1 build, close the client, log out of the RSI Launcher, and let it re-check for the update.
- Open mobiGlas and find the RSI Discovery Month contracts. The event is system-wide across Stanton and splits into three mission families — Defense, Transport, and Collection.
- Go to the Transport missions and accept the Constellation Rental Offer. This is the contract that grants the ship; it is completable once per account.
- Complete it. On completion you are granted a five-day rental of the Constellation Mk V Centaurus and the RSI Skylark snub.
CIG stated the reward plainly in its 4.10.2 release material:
"Every pilot who completes the Constellation Rental Offer gets five days of special rental access to the Constellation Mk V Centaurus and the Skylark." (Source: RSI Spectrum, Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2 LIVE release notes)
Two things to keep in mind. First, it is a rental: the five days are counted from when you claim it, so do not burn the clock — only start the offer when you actually have time to fly. Second, Discovery Month is time-limited. CIG's event FAQ lists an end date of October 20, 2026; after that the contract — and this way of getting the ship — is gone until the next time CIG offers it. Treat the rental as your test drive, not a long-term fleet addition.
Can you buy the Constellation Mk V Centaurus with aUEC or real money?
No — not in Alpha 4.10.2. The Star Citizen Wiki lists the Centaurus with both Buy: No and Rent: No under its standard availability, with a status of "pre-launch testing." (Source: Constellation Mk V Centaurus, starcitizen.tools.) In plain terms: there is no in-game ship terminal that sells it for aUEC, and there is no pledge-store listing that sells it for real money. The event rental is the only legitimate access route this patch.
This is the single biggest source of confusion right now, and it is why the subreddit is full of "where do I buy this" posts. The ship is in the game and flyable, but owning it is a separate step CIG has not switched on yet. A purchasable version — in-game with aUEC and/or on the pledge store — is widely expected to arrive around the next major patch, Alpha 4.11. CIG has not announced a 4.11 date, so treat any "it releases on [date]" claim you see as a community guess, not a fact. Star Citizen's roadmap shifts constantly; the 4.10 content itself slipped out of 4.9.
One more precision point, because it matters for money decisions: the currency you earn in missions is aUEC, the Persistent Universe's test currency. It can be wiped at any patch with no reimbursement — the last full wipe was Alpha 4.8 on May 14, 2026. Do not grind a balance expecting to spend it on a Centaurus the day it goes buyable; the balance itself is not a durable asset.
What is the Constellation Mk V Centaurus?
The Centaurus is a medium freight / gunship built by Roberts Space Industries — the "Mk V" generation of the long-running Constellation line, rebuilt in RSI's modern design language (the same visual family as the Zeus, Perseus, and Aurora Mk2). The verified specs from the ship's wiki page:
- Crew: 4
- Cargo: 240 SCU
- Role: medium freight / gunship
- Dimensions: 82.5 m long, 47.5 m wide, 20.25 m tall; mass ~1,240,000 kg
(Source: Constellation Mk V Centaurus, starcitizen.tools.)
Functionally, think of it as a bigger, harder-hitting take on the Constellation you may already know: a multi-crew ship that can haul a respectable cargo load and defend itself, with a snub craft (the RSI Skylark) to pair with it. Players who have flown it this week describe it as a "daily driver / mobile base" and an "angrier, beefier Mk IV" — exactly the profile RSI aimed at with the medium-freight-plus-guns design. One honest caveat straight from the community: the Centaurus moves the pilot to a side seat rather than the Mk IV's central chair, which not everyone likes, and loading very large cargo boxes solo is still fiddly, as it is on most ships this size.
A note on leaked variants. Datamines have surfaced descriptions of additional Mk V variants (for example an Aquila-style exploration version with a medical bed). These are unconfirmed leaks, not CIG announcements — do not plan a purchase around a variant or a feature CIG has not officially shown. The Centaurus is the one that actually shipped and is flyable in 4.10.2.
Constellation Mk V Centaurus vs the Mk IV: what changed?
Alpha 4.10.2 did two Constellation things at once: it introduced the Mk V Centaurus, and it rebuilt the entire Constellation Mk IV series (Andromeda, Aquila, Taurus, Phoenix) to CIG's current "Gold Standard." So both generations are in a better state than they were a patch ago.
The Mk IV rework is substantial: a rebuilt bridge canopy with the large nose struts removed and a clearer view, a reworked cargo lift and grid, a rebuilt Taurus cargo bay with corrected railing and ladder collision, hab-area personal storage, a Phoenix VIP overhaul, and a full exterior art pass with new paints — including a retirement livery and an emerald livery. (Source: Update: Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2, starcitizen.tools.) The community widely reads the "retirement" livery as a signal that the Mk IV will be gradually sunset as the Mk V line fills in.
The practical takeaway for a buyer:
- If you want the newest hull, more firepower, and the modern RSI look, the Centaurus (Mk V) is the target — but you can only rent it via the event for now.
- If you already own a Constellation Mk IV, you did not get left behind: your ship was just rebuilt to current standards and got new liveries for free with the patch.
- The Mk V is larger and more combat-focused; the Mk IV remains a perfectly capable multi-crew cargo-and-guns ship.
How does RSI Discovery Month work?
Because the Centaurus rental lives inside Discovery Month, it helps to understand the event you are grinding. It is a Stanton-wide event built around three contract tracks plus a combined total track, all accessed through mobiGlas. You complete contracts, earn event points, and progress each track for rewards such as ship paints, flight blades, components, armor, and weapons. (Source: Update: Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2, starcitizen.tools.)
- Defense — keep the space around microTech clear of pirates. Contracts come from the Bounty Hunters Guild, Foxwell, and Northrock, and span ship combat and ground work at caves, outposts, and distribution centers. If you want a head start on combat contracts, our best combat ship in Star Citizen guide ranks the current fighters.
- Transport — move goods to the expo platform for Ling Family Hauling, Covalex, and FTL Courier. This is the track with the Constellation Rental Offer. It also rewards anyone already running cargo loops; see our Star Citizen hauling guide.
- Collection — Shubin buys raw and crafted materials; Adagio recycles hulls, including P-52 Merlins, P-72 Archimedes, and Constellations.
The top overall reward tier features a Constellation Mk IV Gold Standard bundle, so progressing the combined track is worth it on top of the Centaurus rental. Note that Discovery Month patched an Orison Relief Support exploit at the same time — salvage contracts that could be cleared too fast had their hand-in quantities and difficulty raised — so do not expect the old rush-clear trick to work.
Is there a wipe or a Free Fly with the Centaurus?
Two quick answers players ask constantly:
- Wipe: No. Alpha 4.10.2 is a no-wipe patch. Long Term Persistence is preserved, so your earned aUEC, in-game-acquired ships, and items carry over from 4.10.1. The "Citizens always imprint their ship loadouts" line in the patch notes is routine pre-patch housekeeping, not an account reset.
- Free Fly: No. Discovery Month is an event, not a Free Fly window — a Game Package is still required to play, and the Centaurus rental is a reward you earn in-game, not a free trial of the whole game. There is no active Free Fly as of October 10, 2026; the next trial window is expected around IAE in November (unannounced).
If you are brand new and weighing whether to buy a Game Package first, our best starter ship in Star Citizen guide covers the cheapest ways in, and the full Alpha 4.10.2 patch notes cover everything else that shipped this patch.
Should you rent the Centaurus now or wait to buy it?
Rent it now — the rental costs you nothing but the time to complete one Transport contract, and it is the only way to fly the ship before 4.11. Use the five days as a genuine test: fly cargo runs, take it into a Defense contract, and decide whether a four-crew, 240 SCU gunship fits how you actually play. If it does, you will know exactly what you are buying when CIG switches on the purchasable version. If it does not, you have lost nothing. The one thing not to do is treat the event as a reason to buy aUEC or a Star Citizen account from a third party — RSI's Terms of Service explicitly prohibit selling in-game currency, items, boosting services, and account transfers, and penalties are at RSI's discretion up to account termination. The intended, safe path is the one above: earn the rental, then earn aUEC in-game if and when the ship becomes buyable.
FAQ
Can you buy the Constellation Mk V Centaurus in Alpha 4.10.2? No. The ship is not purchasable with aUEC in-game or on the pledge store this patch — the wiki lists it as Buy: No, Rent: No, "pre-launch testing." The only way to fly it right now is the five-day rental earned from the Constellation Rental Offer contract in RSI Discovery Month.
How do you get the Constellation Mk V Centaurus for free? Complete the Constellation Rental Offer contract, found in the Transport missions of the RSI Discovery Month event (open mobiGlas in Stanton). Completing it once grants a five-day rental of the Centaurus and the RSI Skylark snub. The event runs through late October 2026, so the window is limited.
When can you actually buy the Centaurus? CIG has not announced a date. A purchasable version is widely expected around the next major patch, Alpha 4.11, but 4.11 has no confirmed release date. Any specific date you see online is a community estimate, not official.
What is the difference between the Constellation Mk V and Mk IV? The Mk V Centaurus is a newer, larger, more combat-focused medium freight / gunship (crew 4, 240 SCU) in RSI's modern design language, with the pilot in a side seat. The Mk IV series was rebuilt to Gold Standard in the same patch — new canopy, reworked cargo areas, hab storage, and new liveries — so existing Mk IV owners did not get left behind.
Does the Centaurus rental expire? Yes. It is a five-day rental counted from when you claim it, so only start the Constellation Rental Offer when you have time to fly. Once Discovery Month ends (CIG's FAQ lists October 20, 2026), this way of getting the ship is unavailable until CIG offers it again.
Is there a wipe in Alpha 4.10.2? No. It is a no-wipe patch; Long Term Persistence is preserved and your aUEC, in-game ships, and items carry over from 4.10.1. Remember that aUEC is still test currency that can be wiped at a future patch with no reimbursement.
Star Citizen is in Alpha and changes every patch. All details above were verified against official Roberts Space Industries sources and the Star Citizen Wiki for Alpha 4.10.2 on October 12, 2026; re-check the event end date and any purchase availability on the official RSI comm-link before you rely on them.
