So I just build the Federation Octopus, and being the nub I am, I still had not ranked up to 15 with the Feds. The Octopus is rank 15, so I thought that constructing it would bring my player rank up to 15, and I was disappointed to see that it didn’t. I think that it would make sense to have this feature included in the game. Also I just want to unlock the next crew.
It is not a rank 15 ship, it is a special project. It counts as rank 15 for using implants, but not for unlocking.
I suppose that is made because it is possible to farm materials at lower levels and build a secret project without even touching tier 4 breaking the intended progression.