When exploring the system, each card in the sector is flipped up one by one by the opponent, and the player may choose to take an action on a card. The flight ends if either the maximum number of cards are reached, the maximum number of actions are taken (initially two, can be upgraded with modules), or the player loses in a pirate attack. A player may also choose to end their flight phase prematurely. If a card is ever removed from the sector, it is replaced with a new card from a reserve pile.