Tooltip: Using this close to an asteroid opens a secondary interface where you can drill for your desired resource.
UI: Opens a 3x3 grid of rock where you use your “laser” to drill away the rock to reveal what is underneath. I originally had the idea that it would work like a scratch card where if you got 3 in a row you won whatever it was, but I like the idea better of simply digging up the rock to get the resource. Most of the rock shouldn’t give resource, but every instance of the grid should give at least one. Upon digging up three spaces of he grid, the grid resets and you are given another chance. This would allow players to gather actual resources instead of the useless trophies that rocks give. Though I do suggest rare drops from the drill such as (very rare) monos or things like that.
And rare materials for manufacturing requirements (or to produce orange weapons) should be more common in places like Mining Site, Northern/Eastern Mining Station, Processing Rig, since they sound like dedicated mining sites, and Processing Rig with the obvious huge mining lazer.
The sole fact of making a big ship dedicated to mine excites me. I would say something that makes the destroyer a lot more vulnerable (like replacing main weapons for mining tools), but still able to fire back (the 4 modules). I can see teamwork on corps/friends while someone mines in a destroyer and others guard the ship on the process.
