I agree to most parts.
Think the planetary landings were a big addition for explorers.
Gives you something else to do, apart from jsut watching the planet from above, now you can do joyrides there and maybe even find something interesting.
What is annoying to me, is that both engineers that offer drive and FSD upgrades need extremely rare items so they even talk to you. Have been docked at Maia now for days and not even seen 1 scrap of a Meta-Alloy which are supposed the be sold there.
For weapon upgrades they just want Bounty Vouchers or Money both things everyone has in abundance, or can produce in just a few minutes.
Sure the size of the Galaxy is nearly limitless, but it is also devoid of interesting things, as soon as you leave the bubble.
Think the explorers do not want to meet Aliens on every planet they touch down, but finding something else but rocks would be interesting.
Even in our solarsytem there have been various traces of unusual bacteria found on asteroids, so guess what strange microorganisms you could find on far away planets.
The meta alloys are in Maia but NOT in the Obsidian Orbital station! Read the PSA again, you need to go to Daniele's Progress (a surface station). Fly safe tho
Regards!