Sorry for replying that late:
I thank you a lot for that feedback and will think about it in close future. I will definitely rework the primary loop and think about and think about turning the secondary mining loop into something a bit more optional maybe.
I like the idea of random events. I surely can realize that somehow and will think about a range of possible encounters (maybe some negative ones which you can avoid more with some upgrades). About the discovery over a certain distance. This will probably take some more effort to realize it but I will keep it on my idea list.