The Trade Platform allows you to acquire raw unprocessed resources (see table below).Scrap is required as a trading currency and is loaded into the payload slots on the drone. There are eight payload slots on the trade drone. From launch, It takes 50 seconds for the drone to return with the raw resources.
As of patch 154, Hydrazine can no longer be traded or obtained using the Trade Platform.
When you confirm a trade, the Trade Platform blasts into space before shortly returning to its "dock", implying that the planetary system the Player is on is relatively close to humanity.