I think the idea is fun, but the execution is at times a little rough.
I find it pretty difficult to control the ship in such a way that I can destroy the enemy ships but not take damage in return. Some kind of 'barrel roll' or 'quick turn-around' mechanic might help. A little bit of aim-assist would also help, e.g. when turning favor snapping to a rotation which aligns with an enemy ship if it's less than x-degrees off. Lining up accurately with keyboard keys is really hard. At some point I just started running away from enemies and only scan planets. And it's a personal choice, but I would have also liked to be able to hold down the fire button for repeated shots.
I think the game could use more feedback or explanation. When I discover a planet, I get a journal entry and some coin, but I don't know what either mean. Can I read the journal? Is it just a message? Are the coins just a high score? Or do I spend them on that upgrade I need? Where would I do that? Or do I need a certain amount and automatically get the upgrade?