Moon Sweepers J.O.O.N.A.S. Guide: Robot Behavior in 1.0.5

The 1.0.4 patch notes say J.O.O.N.A.S. keeps cleaning a sector even when no players are nearby, and the 1.0.5 notes (October 28, 2026) do not describe a change to that. Per those notes it clears a hex from the outside in, launches capsules at a capsule catcher while it moves on to the next sector, and shows its current sector, a red full-bin warning, and its activity on the Moon map. Most of this arrived in 1.0.4, and 1.0.5 changed which catcher receives each capsule. These are changes the developer described in the 1.0.4 and 1.0.5 patch notes; they are not a formula for throughput or earnings.

What changed for J.O.O.N.A.S. in 1.0.4 and 1.0.5

The developer's 1.0.4 notes list these J.O.O.N.A.S. behaviors:

• No dock trips. After cleaning a sector, J.O.O.N.A.S. launches capsules to a catcher from wherever it is and continues to the next sector. In 1.0.4 this was the nearest catcher; see the 1.0.5 rule below.
• Outside-in cleaning. It works through one hex at a time, starting at the edge and moving inward until that hex is finished; the developer says this cuts down on circling and idle time.
• Smarter navigation. It finds a path around buildings and leaves out hexes it cannot get to.
• Always working. It continues cleaning with no players nearby.
• Full-bin warning. The bin gauge flashes red when full. Looking at J.O.O.N.A.S. opens its information panel.
• Sector tracking. The interface shows the sector it is currently cleaning.

The 1.0.5 notes add these J.O.O.N.A.S. items:

• Smarter capsule delivery. The robot now picks its target differently. It looks at the closest cluster of catchers, where any catchers within 100 m of one another count together, and sends each capsule to whichever of them holds the least dust. That keeps a single catcher from filling up while its neighbor sits empty. Once all of them are above 80% full, the robot moves on to the next cluster.
• Hexes stuck at 99.9%. The notes list a fix for hexes cleaned while players were far away that stayed at 99.9%, never completing or paying out.
• Blocked build spot. The notes also list a fix for a case where the robot left behind a spot that could never be built on.

For the separate Upgrade Matrix sharing rule in multiplayer, see shared upgrades.

Reading the "2x faster" claim

The patch notes describe cleaning as about twice as fast, but that is the developer's own description of the change. It is not a player-measured benchmark, and it does not mean your dust income doubles. Treat it as a statement about how J.O.O.N.A.S. moves and cleans, not a promise about earnings per hour.

Capsule catchers and the 100 kg figure

The 1.0.4 notes say the Capsule Catcher's glass now displays collected dust and that its capacity increased to 100 kg. The 1.0.5 notes do not mention changing that capacity. That is the documented capacity change only. The notes do not give a throughput rate, a capsule-per-minute figure, or an ideal number of catchers per robot, so this guide does not supply one.

Because 1.0.5 spreads capsules over the catchers in the nearest group, catcher placement likely affects where dust arrives, though the notes give no placement advice. Catchers within 100 m of one another count as one group, and each capsule is aimed at the emptiest one in it. The notes do not say what happens when no catcher is within 100 m of J.O.O.N.A.S., so this guide does not guess.

Map and robot activity

The improved Moon Map in 1.0.4 shows all robots with their current activity, and each robot type can be toggled on or off. Right-clicking the map sets waypoints, focus, or teleport.

Version and save notes

Saves made in 1.0.4 cannot be opened in older versions, so crews should agree on a version before loading a world together. The 1.0.4 notes also describe faster saving, automatic backups kept outside Steam Cloud, and automatic repair when a save is damaged. Backup recovery is a developer-described safeguard, not a guarantee that every damaged save will be restored; see save backups for related details.

FAQ

Does J.O.O.N.A.S. stop when players leave? The 1.0.4 notes say it keeps cleaning with no players nearby, and the 1.0.5 notes do not describe a change to that. The developers' October 24 message had listed robots stopping when players move away as a priority, but the newer notes describe the always-working behavior.

Do I still need to walk capsules back to a dock? The notes describe J.O.O.N.A.S. launching capsules at a catcher on its own, so the old dock trip is no longer part of its routine as described.

Which catcher does J.O.O.N.A.S. send capsules to now? Per the 1.0.5 notes, the emptiest catcher in the nearest cluster, meaning catchers that stand within 100 m of each other. If all of that group is above 80% full, it moves on to the next group. The 1.0.4 notes had said the nearest catcher.

Is the 100 kg catcher capacity a production rate? No. It is a stated capacity value. The source gives no throughput math.