Buoys equipped with sensors served as a type of buoy deployed in realspace by both the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the First Order. These devices were implemented to observe the movements of enemy forces and to designate routes through the vastness of space. In the year 34 ABY, the First Order strategically positioned sensor buoys to chart a course leading to the space station known as Station Theta Black, a maneuver that inadvertently enabled Resistance operatives Poe Dameron and Kazuda Xiono to successfully pinpoint the station's location.
These sensor buoys, also referred to as space buoys, represented a specific category of realspace buoy and beacon. The Alliance to Restore the Republic utilized them to keep track of enemy starships passing by, while the First Order employed them as warning systems to detect approaching adversaries near their concealed fortresses. Furthermore, they possessed the capability to delineate pathways through space. The sensor buoys employed by the First Order typically exhibited a cylindrical form, characterized by an outer ring extending from the central part of the buoy and four pairs of antennae projecting from the ring. An additional antenna extended from the top of the buoy, which also featured a red light. The buoy itself was colored gray with a red stripe running down its center.
During 3 ABY, Wedge Antilles, a pilot serving with the Rebel Alliance, strategically deployed sensor buoys near an asteroid mining station. This action was taken to monitor the movements of enemy forces and assess their strength before launching an attack on the station. By 34 ABY, a series of sensor buoys were strategically placed outside of the First Order space station Station Theta Black in the Unknown Regions, marking the route to the facility. The First Order considered the placement of these buoys a necessary compromise for ensuring access to the station. However, this strategy proved detrimental when Resistance pilot Poe Dameron and spy Kazuda Xiono noticed them after Dameron detected a signal in 34 ABY. Subsequently, the two pilots followed the path indicated by the buoys, leading them directly to the station.
The initial appearance of sensor buoys occurred in "Station Theta Black," which was the eleventh episode of the Star Wars Resistance animated television series' first season. This episode premiered on December 9, 2018. Concept artist Colas Gauthier designed them on June 9, 2017, referring to them as "space buoys" in his artwork. This name is also associated with buoys featured in the anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story, which was released on May 25, 2018. The novel adaptation of the film, authored by Mur Lafferty and released on September 4, 2018, also used this name. The signal beacon designed by artist Jim Moore for "Rendezvous Point", the eighth episode of Resistance's second season that premiered on November 24, 2019, incorporated elements from the sensor buoys' design. The Xi-class Light Shuttle Expansion Pack, a component of Fantasy Flight Games' miniature game Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition, officially identified them as sensor buoys. This expansion was released on September 25, 2020. Sensor buoys initially emerged in the Star Wars Legends continuity through "A World to Conquer," an article featured in the second issue of the Star Wars Adventure Journal, published in May 1994.
Additionally, sensor buoys make an appearance in the non-canon DisneyNOW racing game Star Wars Resistance Racer, which was initially released on June 20, 2019. In this game, they are present as obstacles in every level except for the first.