Disappearing loot

[Arcatus]

Hi,

A returning player here.

I tried searching, but could find the answer;
The loot that I leave behind (that is inevitable at low levels until I find a few cargobays) disappears fairly quickly.

Does it happen when I leave a sector? Or can it happen if I get too far away from them?

Has it always been like this? It is really annoying, and I can't remember it being an issue on my last play trough...