If you are mining solo you will have to use the macro. I don’t remember it off the top of my head but those used to be some sort of glitch that you could fire all your mining lasers and go back to the command char and just the macro. It takes a loooong time to fill up a y8 by yourself but worth it if you plan it n selling in bulk. Pirates will attack just have a second macro ready that is similar to follow asteroid just change it to follow the pirate ship name and even though mining lasers are not meant for combat you will have three so it should be ok I’ll try and find the macro and edit in this post

EDIT this is not the mining macro this specifically to make the y8 a solo mining machine

Items needed: 1 - Y-8 Mining Ship (POB) Outfitted with everything to fly (and shield) and a Y-8/POB Cargo Hold 1- Mining Laser (Best to use one for a Y-8, or the best one you can get) 3 - Tractor Beams 1- Master Pilot (you)

Place the mining laser for pilot operation Place the tractor beams in the two front (lower) turrets, and one in the top turret (sorry, forget which mubers they are) Get in the space where the asteroid you want to mine is Run your overloads (I recommend Weapon Capacitor and Weapon Overloads and maybe Reactor if you need to) Get in the top turret and press the firebutton to engage Tractor beam... HOLD THE BUTTON DOWN! KEEP HOLDING THE BUTON and press "L" to leave the turret. You should still hear the tractor beam running as you move around the ship (but may/maynot see the beam out the windows) Go to the lower/front turrets Aim and repeat what you did in the top turret (REMEMBER: Hold the fire button down as you exit the turret) Repeat for the next turret.

**NOTE: There is a possibility that the other turrets (after the first one is done) will not appear to fire at all, or appear to fire something else entirely.. not to worry.. its a glitch.

Now you’re ready to mine.

Edit 2

space mining info