I saw a post on r/starfieldmods and it makes traversal 2-3x faster and more engaging, and best of all it doesn’t require a mod - it’s just not active in the options. Here is the original post on reddit.
Essentially, all you have to do is set a button as the alternate jump button (keeping the main jump key set). In the post, they use L-Alt, I use triangle/Y on controller. Now, when jumping, jump like you normally would, then hit your new key to boost forward (L-Alt on keyboard, L3+Triangle/Y on controller).
I recommend the Skip Boost jetpack (in general, but also for this tip). This tip makes exploration more engaging and combat more fun. I don’t know why it is inactive by default!
Oh that explains why it worked in zero g, I could boost forward I guess since I was always “jumping”