No Man's Sky: 13 Little-Known Facts You Need To See
12. If You Lose Your Ship, It's Gone For Good
Though dying on the ground results in the loss of any loot and information you haven't yet stored on your ship or in a planetary station, dying in your ship in space carries a far greater penalty.
Death in space will result in you losing your ship and all of its cargo, respawning with the game's most basic ship and having to work your way back to purchasing the ship you previously owned.
Considering that Hello Games are expecting players to form bonds with their ships, this could result in some painful moments, especially if your ship is destroyed after tens or potentially even hundreds of hours of use, depending on how well you play.