The 'official BETA patch' has been released on the Moo3 website and fileplanet. Yes, 'beta' is in the actual name/description of it. I guess they are now so paranoid that they won't call it a 'real' patch until it is proven successful with the public.
But this represents a fairly extensive revision of many aspects of the game. Many bugs fixed, many common-sense features add (ability to rename star systems, ability to refit ships)... Looks like it will require a re-assessment of MOO 3.