have the planet orbit very close to a Pulsar or some other exotic star.

A neutron star is very small (few Km in diameter), for this reason your planet would have a very large shadow, thus making the planetary approach more feasible. The planetary masswould provide shielding from most of the star solar wind and radiation (at least in the shadowed area).

You can go more extreme and use another star like object to create a stronger justification for travelling in the shadow. Like a quark star, an antimatter star or a strangelet star.

Have the planet orbit very close to a Pulsar or some other exotic star.

A neutron star is very small (few Km in diameter), for this reason your planet would have a very large shadow, thus making the planetary approach more feasible. The planetary mass would provide shielding from most of the star solar wind and radiation (at least in the shadowed area).

You can go more extreme and use another star like object to create a stronger justification for travelling in the shadow. Like a quark star, an antimatter star or a strangelet star. Your planet would be perfect for housing a scientific research station for studing the unusual star!