By Starbound 1.0, the way you acquire new techs will be totally different!

There’s an Apex scientist in the Outpost developing techs, and he needs your help to test them out! If you can beat his obstacle courses, he’ll give you techs to take with you on your adventures.

You can also drop by his lab to upgrade techs if you have any tech cards handy, and later on you may be able to purchase portable tech stations so you can swap out your techs on the go!