New in the "upcoming" Steam beta branch: If the player collects 3 Petrite, 1 Flux, and unlocks the Codex, then they can build an Outpost. Outposts are the center of a small base that the player can make. You can make as many of them as you want as you explore the planet, and they'll have other functionality attached to them in the future.
Building an Outpost
Source: Steam Community (opens in a new tab)