My idea would be to add a new type of satellite,shield. It should have 3 ammo. When you fire it,a shield will appear in front of your ship,and it will stay in the same place until it gets destroyed. It can block most projectiles,but it can’t block explosions and instant lasers. Enemies also can’t get damaged by the shield.
Here’s what it would look like. It should do the job.(thanks to emerald for the design)