Having played some other space games, I think it would be cool to add a sort of trading outpost. It would look like the launch pad and when you move to the edge of it, a prompt would pop up, showing you the trade. Trades could consist of trading blocks, fuel, or maybe even repairs for the player to receive. If the player accepts the trade, then the trade station will glow red (some sort of indication), and either automatically take fuel from the player or in the case of the player giving up blocks, the center block of the station would remove any of the desired block that moves over it. When the player has completed their part of the trade, the trade station would turn green (another indication) and spit out fuel rocks or blocks for the player to pick up.
Edit: I would have the trading stations be pretty rare, and only appear later in the game. They could maybe have a long range indication that they are nearby, and maybe they could be protected by challenging enemies.