Pioneering is a Tier 0 Secondary Tech of the Tech Web that can be researched from Habitation; you can also start with it for free if you include a Laboratory in your Cargo when starting a new game. Pioneering extends habitational techniques to allow new extensions of your central colony, and establish connections with them (or with other colonies). This includes the development of a new self-unpacking unit called Colonists, containing material sufficient for creation of a basic new set of habitational and administrative structures; a Trade Depot Building to provide logistical support for long-distance goods exchange, and finally the Trade Convoy and Trade vessel units used to conduct actual trade.