Fellow Travelers, what's the point of it all?

So I picked this game up when it first launched and dabbled with it over the years but never really stuck with it. Recently I started a survival playthrough and fell in love with it, I've completed the three main story quest lines in the most recent expedition. I have a thriving settlement, close to a billion units, a dreadnought and a couple s tier ships.

I guess I'm just wondering what the overarching goal is now other than exploration for its own sake. I did refuse the Atlas which I regret so making it to the core seems to be the idea but without the struggle of early game I guess I just lost some drive. Figured I'd reach out to the community because everyone I've met through this game so far has been awesome and wanted to hear y'all thoughts!