Mining requires a lot of equipment. Heavy equipment and needs many slots. Large ships are better for handling more slots, but harder to maneuver. Smaller ships are easier to maneuver but harder to properly outfit for the different types of mining. You need cargo space to hold your limpets and store your refined mining fragments. Mining is impossible without cargo space. The amount of cargo space you can potentially have directly relates to the ship you use. Also, keep in mind the different classes of the below will perform differently giving a different experience.

For example, a large Cutter with 3 limpet controllers will mine very fast with so many limpets collecting, but at the sacrifice of how much cargo it could hold. Plus that large ship in the case of the Cutter is a pig to move around. A Python on the other hand, in my opinion, has the best of many worlds. The Python, only needing a medium-sized landing pad, can also sell at more stations, but of course, will hold less in its cargo hold than a large ship.

Below is the equipment list for mining in Elite Dangerous. Always go A Rated.

NON-CORE SLOTS

• Collector limpet controller (required)
• Prospector limpet controller (required)
• Refinery (required, except for laser mining)
• Detailed surface scanner (required)
• Shield (recommended but not required)

HARDPOINTS

At least one of these is required to produce fragments.

• Abrasion laser
• Subsurface Displacement charge
• Seismic Charge
• Mining Laser

CARGO

• Limpets (required)

UTILITY SLOTS

• Pulse wave scanner (required)
• Point Defense (optional) - place on the bottom near cargo hatch