...
The Spacelab Headquarters internal decoder allows the Reverse Engineering of both Ships and Stations. While costly at first, as it takes apart and as a result destroys the ship or station added to the Reverse Engineering cue, its the first step towards production independence. Once concluded the process results in the addition of a blueprint of the respective ship or station to the Production Lines.
Blueprints for ships, stations and equipment can also be acquired by tasking Agents to use their diplomatic influence, or found in space with the help of the Low Frequency Locator revealing crates that contain them. Its also said that the Explorers Guild provides the occasional blueprint, but some rare ones can only be obtained through Reverse Engineering.
...