Hope everyone is doing great. I had a vacation a couple weeks ago and hit the ground running upon my return. There has been a lot progress made on the upcoming content update. I'm currently in the final private testing phase and finishing up minor tweaks and features before it hits the Test Build branch for public testing. Here are some of the things you can look forward to.
Planet Exploration
The big-ticket item for the next update is the planet exploration content. In the next update you will be able to scan biomes and mine new resources using remote surface vehicles. Colonists still don't get a chance to leave the facility quite yet, but that is planned for a future expeditions update. A lot of work was required to get the foundation set up for planet exploration. This is the main reason this update has taken longer than I would have preferred.
Several new resources have been added that can only be gathered on the surface. Additionally, all alien flora/fauna must now be discovered on the surface, and researched, before they can be grown and harvested. New and existing resources can be mined on the surface. This will resolve issues with running out of resources for power or construction as resources are not depleted on the surface.
Discoveries & Research
Many new discoveries and research projects have also been added. The research project tree has been updated so that some research now requires additional surface discoveries.
Misc
Several new resources and recipes are available for advanced crafting. A couple of ambient music tracks have also been added.
I'm in the home stretch and Alpha 0.15 should be available in the Test Build branch soon. Thanks for your support and patience.