If you like the idea of building your ship and then using it to blast pirates into little pieces, you could give Avorion a go. It’s currently half price on Steam and is a bit Minecraft in space. It had no player view though, everything is done from space craft from mining to trading to combat.
Combat mand flying feels like The Expanse if you have seen / read that.
Stellaris! It's a game like civilization, but in space. I have hundreds of hours in and it has been responsible for many nights of me staying up late than i should. Constant free updates and many options for paid dlc to expand your options.
If you're willing to wait, I don't think we should leave the upcoming Bethesda IP, Starfield out. It's due in September and from what little I've seen is a real competitor for Star Citizen.....
Except it will be complete.
If you want something smaller scale but fun:
Transcendence. https://store.steampowered.com/app/364510/Transcendence/
Also, "Strange Adventures In Infinite Space"
and the sequels to that. The sequel (Weird Worlds) is on steam.
Very short and silly, but fun.