The goal is to make additional ships available that give players a different experience rather than a particular advantage when the final persistent universe launches. (robertsspaceindustries.com)
These updates introduced a ton of new content, features, and the beginnings of a somewhat persistent universe. (simhq.com)
And outside of the curated persistent universe, you'll also be able to run your own multiplayer server with full mod support, where you can do anything you want. (pcgamer.com)