With the Vanguard's extended range, could one of the variants be used for exploration and/or scouting? Will we see any other swappable pods, such as cargo, medical or holding cells?

The Vanguard would be a good base for a scout and/or exploration ship, with the Warden being the best platform. We may make additional upgrade kits available in the future, although the goal is never to have ships pre-configured to do every role. We'd like ships to have strong identities, and we don't want to stomp on that by making every ship a master of all trades. More likely, you'll end up designing out your own Vanguard variants using individual components found in the 'Verse, swapping them back and forth depending on their strengths and weaknesses.