Question

Is there any reason to explore planets other then for cool factor?

The cool factor is pretty big ATM :sunglasses:
With the implementation of 3.10 which may be as soon as this week :crossed_fingers:. We’ll see a significant development in the hight and depth of terrain across all of the planets and moons. I know they’ve reworked all the current poi’s to make sure they’re compatible with the new heights, it’s possible that they’ve added a bit more as Easter eggs (unlikely though).
Sometimes you come across other players, miners a random base or outpost. That can be interesting, especially other players but remember the org policy of not shooting other players first.
This 3.10 might see a spike in piracy because of the ability to tx money from player to player. “Hey miner give me $$$ or I shove this size 5 missile up your…” You get the point. You’ll be there defending the innocent (sshhh - org policy).

There’s a division in the org that does mapping and exploration. I know they did some epic work of mapping each outpost (literally). That’ could all need redone with this next update. So could be worth asking their lead if the want help.
Failing that box missions are a great way to see a lot of the surfaces - they take you to random locations.

Always better to have a traveling companion or two aswell. Makes it a laugh.
Give me a shout if I’m on and not trying to earn £ myself. I’ll explore. Especially after the update.

At this stage, exploration is only about the cool factor. That will however change as the game develops and one can make money through exploration.