The Misc Prospector is perhaps the most famous and possibly most tortured project to come out of Misc High Industries. Its development began in 2910 when an engineering team was organised to develop additional revenue streams from existing Misc assets using limited resources. They chose to modify the Freelancer light transport, already successful in survey and fire suppression missions. The team then split into three design groups and picked their top options, two of which were affordable and reasonable: the business-oriented Freeminder and the militarised Observer. The third was considered highly unlikely to go forward.
This vessel was nicknamed the Miner. The project was unfavourable because in 2910, there were very few small mining ships; because of the abundance of large-scale mining proposals, it had not been considered feasible for an individual operator to pursue small-scale mining. Nevertheless, Misc decided to pursue the project.
Misc formed two teams: the design team to create a new Freelancer-inspired hull, and a research and development team to miniaturise a mining array. After four prototypes (A1, A2, A3, and B1) and rigorous space trials, the Miner was ready for flight in 2923. When it was unveiled to the universe in the Intergalactic Aerospace Expo in 2924, there was little interest in the vessel. However, in 2925, when Chloe Rasnick used a Prospector to make the largest discovery of the year, sales skyrocketed. With the Prospector, a new class of miner was born. It is a reminder that even the most far-fetched and unlikely plans can succeed.