Orbital trade beacon
Orbital trade beacon
Required for orbital trading and requesting caravans. To initiate the trade a ship must be in range, which a colonist can communicate with using the Comms Console. All silver and tradeable items within range of a beacon will then be available for trade. Although its "orbital" name suggests otherwise, you need enough silver near a beacon to request a trade caravan.
Trade beacons will work under a roof. Solid walls and separate rooms will break the area of influence of a trade beacon. Putting a trade beacon inside a large room (with adequate roof support columns) works fine. Items purchased from a trader will be dropped within range of a beacon if unroofed, otherwise they will be dropped as close to the beacon as possible.