If you are running Windows 8.1 and experience frequent crashes to desktop, you may need to set Windows 7 compatibility mode on the Game_rmdwin7_f.exe file and run straight from this file to workaround.

I know this issue affects both the GOG and Steam versions of the game and I don't experience crashes after this workaround personally.

This really seems to have fixed those issues for me, now I can play for hours without a crash.

Anyway the pointed out executable is not there, the files where I set "Windows 7" compatibility are these:

control.exe
control_DX11.exe

I changed nothing on the launch settings of Galaxy.

Bought yesterday, now my fingers are crossed (really hard to type this way).
I had the issue on Epic and Steam, also used this and a handful of other fixes with varying success but never got it working consistently. I actually only ever ended the game on my own once, and even then it had an error message after closing as if it had crashed anyway.

For clarity, if you hover over the Control_DX11.exe you will see it's true name 'Game_rmdwin7_f.exe' so that is the one OP is talking about.