Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead Is Live – How to Get the Normandy in No Man’s Sky

A No Man’s Sky player character standing on a colorful alien planet, looking up at the Normandy SR1 frigate hovering in the sky during Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead.

Okay, so No Man’s Sky has done it again. The team at Hello Games just launched Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead, and yeah, it matters. It’s free, it’s time-limited, and it’s your shot at adding the coveted SSV Normandy SR1 to your collection if you haven’t already.

What Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead actually is

This redux run isn’t something entirely new. It’s essentially a rerun of the original Beachhead expedition, but tweaked for the holiday schedule. You jump into an expedition mode, work through milestones, and as a big reward you get the Normandy SR1. That makes it the go-to mode for how to get Normandy in No Man’s Sky. Official info from Hello Games confirms the holiday expedition lineup lists Beachhead (7 Nov – 18 Nov 2025) for this very reward.

Dates & schedule

Beachhead Redux runs 7 November – 18 November 2025.

How to start Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead

Load your game and go to the Space Anomaly. (Here is how)
Select the “Community Expeditions” (or simply “Expedition”) menu.
Choose Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead.
Pick a loadout and dive in. Once you start the expedition you’ll follow the milestone chain toward the Normandy.

What you’ll be doing

During the expedition you’ll:

Explore flagged systems and worlds specially designated for the event.
Complete milestone objectives (scanning, building, exploring).
Claim rewards at each milestone.
Because it’s a redux, the order or number of objectives may differ slightly from the original run.

Pro Tips for Beachhead

Read the milestone list before you start.
Pay attention to milestones’ reward text. Many rewards hint at the next tasks. In other words: claim a milestone, read what you got, then plan for the next one.
You don’t need high-end gear from your main save. Good news if you’ve skipped earlier runs.
For the “Uncharted” milestone (discovering new systems): using a black hole or going off the beaten path helps a lot. Example: “Another tip for the Uncharted mission – go to the Anomaly and get black hole coordinates from Polo. That way you can go immediately to a random part of the galaxy and you’ll almost certainly be within a jump or two of uncharted space.” That beats wandering the usual warp lanes.
For milestones involving frigate missions: you can exploit it. Send your default frigate on the shortest Expedition you can, then go to your command room and recall the Expedition and debrief the frigate. Rinse and repeat x3. Time-efficient workaround (if you’re okay with using it).
If you get stuck fishing on the “Icy Veins” milestone: warp to the second rendezvous system (if the starting system lacks a valid ice planet). And craft bait to speed catch-ups.
On the starter system, talk to multiple NPCs in the space station early (for “Linguaphile” milestone).
If you’re prepping: bring (or make sure you have) wiring looms, magnetic resonators, amino chamber, and a decent reserve of basics like Chromatic Metal, Ferrite Dust & Condensed Carbon. Even if you don’t need top gear, these help smooth things.
Before you claim the final reward, transfer what you care about from the expedition back to your main save. Good habit: don’t lose items you meant to keep.

Rewards you care about

The main draw here is the Normandy SR1. If you already own it, you’ll still pick up a few extras along the way, cosmetic items, decals, and event-specific ship parts. To get the Normandy, all you need to do is finish the expedition milestones before the event ends and claim the reward once it unlocks.

The Normandy SR1 flying through deep space in No Man’s Sky, surrounded by several accompanying frigates with a massive planet looming in the background during Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead.

Technical fixes and improvements

Though the focus here is the expedition itself, the update surrounding this redux includes quality-of-life improvements: better expedition tracking in the UI, tweaks to ship-building systems, updated visuals for holiday-themed systems. The devs quietly rolled in these improvements alongside the expedition announcement.

If you’re chasing the core of the galaxy

And yes, while you’re smashing through Beachhead, don’t forget about your other goal: reaching the galactic core. If you want the ultimate telemetry on how to get there fast, check out my article on the Fastest Way to the Galactic Core. Beachhead is a fun detour, but if your long game is hitting the centre, you’ll want that guide.

TL;DR

Expedition 2 Redux: Beachhead is live from 7 Nov to 18 Nov 2025 and offers the Normandy SR1 as reward.
Start via the Anomaly → pick the expedition → work through milestones → claim the Normandy.