Your first billion? It took me over a year to do that Mind you, that was all well before the mining boom when I thought a 10mCR hauling mission was a mega-payout!
I'd go with the Krait II for mining, especially if you're doing laser, subsurface and core stuff. Another option might be a Python. For an explorer ship, you can't go wrong with a DBX although you might be a bit limited on optional slots. A viable alternative would be a Krait Phantom.
Aaaanyway... welcome to ED and glad you're enjoying the experience! @@@07
well, I thought you could make 100 billion credits an hour mining Bromelite, so I was nearly there?!
The main reason I have a Clipper is from doing a bit of the Imperial grind, and wanted to have some fruit to the courier gig - and a Cutter still seems a chunk away... good food for thought on adjusting the fleet tho.
I swear by a Dolphin for exploring. Just enough slots with a touch of elegance and luxury. It is as nimble as anything for planetary landings.
I haven’t tried any of the mammal ships yet - also think being a bus driver might be fun, so maybe some Passenger missions soon, tho that would be an Orca, really?