Economy
Budget & Cash Flow
The observatory can be scientifically successful and still fail financially. Cash is consumed by construction, payroll, upkeep, repairs, upgrades, loan payments, marketplace fees, and event consequences.
Major cash sources
Startup and annual support depend on your chosen funding path.
Mission completion provides some of the largest structured payouts.
Some technologies and facilities create direct or indirect income.
Discovery licensing, NPC buyers, and player-to-player trades monetize scientific output.
Major recurring expenses
Payroll and building upkeep scale with expansion. An observatory that doubles its facility count without increasing mission/data income can become less financially stable even while RO/day increases.
Loans
Bridge/stabilization loans are available when liquidity becomes a problem. They solve an immediate cash shortage by converting it into a longer repayment obligation, so use them to protect a productive observatory—not to finance an unsustainable expansion pattern.