Orbital construction

Despite advances in various means of propulsion and energy generation, the physics of inserting large amounts of mass into orbit remains.

Commonly Mined Materials
Many common construction materials used for ship and station building can be found in various stellar bodies, especially around asteroid belts and dying stars.

Structural

 * Iron (Asteroids)
 * Gold (Asteroids)
 * Platinum (Asteroids)
 * Silicon (Asteroids)
 * Platinum (Asteroids)
 * Silicon (Asteroids)
 * Silicon (Asteroids)

Consumables

 * Hydrogen (Gas clouds)
 * Lithium (Dying stars)
 * Ice & Water (Asteroids)
 * Ice & Water (Asteroids)
 * Ice & Water (Asteroids)

Construction
Due to the orbital mechanics involved in bringing objects and materials into orbit, construction in space is generally dictated by the size, environment and, more importantly, the weight of the materials and objects being constructed.

Ships
Small ships, especially those capable of atmospheric flight, are generally assembled on a planet's surface. Materials are mined at the surface or shipped in. However, as the scale of the ship grows larger, construction gets increasingly more exotic and expensive.

Mid-large scale ships that may still overcome gravitational forces may be constructed on smaller, non-atmospheric worlds. Since these worlds are often looked over for colonization, they represent an ideal environment for the intense industrial manufacturing involved.

The most common construction method for large ships that may be incapable of larger accelerations or planetary flight in general are assembled in space. These large factories will carry the capabilities for refining, assembling, and finishing off larger ships, often employing thousands of workers and robots in the process.

Stations
The majority of space stations used by the general public are far too immense for raw materials to be transported around and assembled. Instead, its commonplace for large asteroids to be hollowed out and built back up from the inside out. In the process, these asteroids can be moved from their original orbits to the desired positions. These colonies are well suited for cheap civilian habitation and trade since the materials that are excavated from the inside of the asteroid are often refined for further construction.

Military and large organizations prefer to fabricate their stations using advanced alloys to suit their own needs. This is done similar to how large ships are constructed in orbit, with a temporary orbital refinery being constructed nearby the needed resources. This greatly sacrifices construction costs for improved durability and strategic purpose.