This is a very fascinating mechanical concept! I could definitely see the game loop being expanded to help counter enemies and obstacles. If I had one suggestion, it would be to implement some more physics and dynamic movement and consider arrow key movement for the ship - imagine if you had to press and hold space to rocket out, then use the arrow keys to curve the rope around and hit yourself with less control because you're slowing down off momentum - could get pretty tricky. Nicely done!