In the new Factorio expansion, things don't end on the starting planet, Nauvis. You build a rocket silo at your base, which later allows you to construct an orbital platform to produce Space Science Packs (the white ones).
A simple way to get white cans:
The space science pack allows you to unlock not only engines for space flight but also a crucial technology for logistics and automation:
In addition to the passive provider chest, you get a logistic requester chest. You can do some crazy things at your base using these two containers—the requester and the passive provider. They replace conveyor belts, with drones taking over the role of belts. You simply specify the required materials in the requester chest, and logistic drones handle the delivery to the factories themselves, pulling materials from the passive provider chests—provided they are within roboport coverage:
Late-game utility
1) Production of steel beams
It is better to set this up at the very beginning of the base rather than at the end, since you will need a huge quantity of them for practically everything. After all, if you place the steel beam smelters at the end of the line, the iron simply won't make it there along the conveyor belt.
2) Buffer: blue chips, intermediaries, rocket fuel
You will also need a large quantity of them to launch rockets into orbit. To avoid waiting for these resources to be produced later, stockpile them in crates in advance.
3) Uranium and energy
It’s a good alternative to coal, since a single nuclear reactor—as far as I understand—can output up to 40 megawatts of energy. The only snag is crafting the fuel cells needed to run it.
After all, the processing of uranium ore yields 98% depleted uranium-238 and only 2% enriched uranium-235.
