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Incredible Technology

At the center of space exploration beats a heart of incredible technological marvels and innovation that inspires scientists and engineers to reach for the stars. See some of the wildest space tech concepts here, as well as technologies needed to ensure humanity's expansion across the solar system.

Related Topics: 3D Printing, Curiosity Mars Rover Mission, SpaceX, International Space Station 

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A miniuniverse that powers a car battery? Only in the world of "Rick and Morty."

From Brain Control to Multiverses, 'Rick and Morty' Gets Some Science Right

By Mindy Weisberger

A new book tackles the science behind the fantastic technology and sci-fi concepts in the outrageous cartoon series "Rick and Morty."

An artist's depiction of The Planetary Society's LightSail 2.

Want to See the First Satellite Propelled Solely by the Sun? Here's How.

By Amy Thompson

LightSail 2, The Planetary Society's solar sailing spacecraft, has spent more than two months in orbit; here's how to spot it in the sky.

Artist's illustration of Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander on the moon.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Will Launch Private Moon Lander in 2021

By Mike Wall

The Nova-C lander, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2021.

An artist's illustration of NASA's Artemis moon lander fly astronauts to the moon by 2024.

NASA Is Now Accepting Proposals for Artemis Landers to Fly Astronauts to the Moon

By Tariq Malik

NASA is officially taking proposals for Artemis landers to fly astronauts to the moon by 2024.

Among the 14 companies NASA has selected as partners in working toward exploration of the moon and Mars is Astrobotic, which wants to build a CubeRover.

NASA Hands Out $43 Million for 'Tipping Point' Tech for the Moon and Mars

By Meghan Bartels

NASA is funding more than a dozen technology projects that could aid exploration of the moon and Mars, focusing on issues including cryogenics, energy production and independent mobility.

An artist's depiction of a fleet of Shapeshifter robots exploring Saturn's moon Titan.

Shapeshifter Robots Could Explore Volcanoes and Caves on Saturn's Moon Titan

By Elizabeth Howell

New shapeshifting robots could give us access to distant worlds like never before — including the soupy moon Titan in Saturn's neighborhood.

Particle collisions at the LHC.

Einstein's Theory Predicts a Weird State of Matter. Could It Be Lurking in the World's Largest Atom Smasher?

By Tim Childers

This mysterious matter was predicted from Einstein's theory of special relativity, but physicists can't seem to find it!

view of planet from spaceship

Advanced Alien Civilizations May Produce 'Technosignatures' That We Could Find, Experts Say

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

If life evolved the same way elsewhere in the cosmos as it did on our planet, could we find it by the technological traces such civilizations might leave behind?

NASA is developing the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or xEMU, as a spacesuit for astronauts on the moon as part of the Artemis program.

NASA Wants to Test New Moon Spacesuits on the Space Station in 2023

By Elizabeth Howell

NASA is on track to test a full version of the new lunar spacesuits on the International Space Station in 2023, an agency official told a conference this month.

This thermoelectric generator harnesses temperature differences to generate renewable electricity. Here the device is powering a small LED light.

This New Device Can Make Renewable Energy from the Cold Night Sky

By Elizabeth Howell

A new thermoelectric device can generate electricity for an LED light bulb even during the blackest night, according to a report by researchers.

Bigelow Aerospace has constructed a ground-test unit of its massive Mars Transporter Testing Unit BA-330 space habitat for NASA tests on Earth.

NASA Puts Bigelow Aerospace's Giant Inflatable Space Habitat Prototype to the Test (Photos)

By Mike Wall

NASA is currently conducting a two-week ground test on Bigelow Aerospace's B330 habitat here at the company's headquarters, assessing the module's suitability as a deep-space astronaut abode.

An ArianeWorks reusable Themis rocket prototype returns to Earth in a video animation of the group's new reusable rocket program.

Europe's ArianeWorks Aims for Reusable Rockets (with a Very SpaceX Look)

By Elizabeth Howell

Veteran launch provider Arianespace's parent Ariane Group has teamed up with the French space agency CNES for ArianeWorks, a project for reusable rockets.

Artist’s illustration of a Breakthrough Starshot probe arriving at the potentially Earth-like planet Proxima Centauri b. A representation of laser beams is visible emanating from the corners of the craft’s lightsail.

Is Interstellar Travel Really Possible?

By Paul Sutter

Interstellar flight is a real pain in the neck.

Made In Space has produced ZBLAN optical fiber in orbit using this machine. The company plans to launch a second, bigger ZBLAN-manufacturing facility to the International Space Station in the next year or so.

Made In Space to Step Up Off-Earth Production of Valuable Optical Fiber

By Mike Wall

Made In Space intends to launch another ZBLAN-manufacturing machine to the International Space Station within the next year or so.

Russia's Skybot F-850 humanoid robot holds a Russian flag with cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin for a photo in the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station in this photo released Sept.

Russia's Humanoid Skybot Robot in Space Commits Twitter Photo Faux-Pas Ahead of Landing

By Chelsea Gohd

Skybot F-850 tweeted out a photo of Earth from the space station that was taken by a NASA astronaut almost 10 years ago.

iran missile disaster

Sleuths Find the Top-Secret (and Classified) Satellite Behind Trump's Tweeted Photo

By Stephanie Pappas

It was only a matter of time: Amateur sleuths think they've tracked down the satellite that took a high-resolution image of the aftermath of an Iranian missile disaster.

The wing of the "fruit fly microbot."

These Jumping, Flapping Microrobots Could Swarm On Far-Off Worlds

By Chelsea Gohd

Newly designed insect-sized robots could be used to explore distant worlds and objects like asteroids and comets.

In NASA's NEEMO NXT mission, astronauts trained underwater off the coast of California with the commercial ExoSuit and a mini submarine from Aug. 21 to 28, 2019.

Astronauts Test Retro Spacesuit Tech for Mock Mars Missions Under the Sea

By Chelsea Gohd

Astronauts test new tech in NASA's new NEEMO NXT mission.

Commercial use of water ice near the moon's poles will provide access to a supply line of in-space propellant, mining advocates say.

No Digging Required: Space Mining on the Moon and Beyond May Be Solar Powered

By Mike Wall

The best way to extract water from the moon and near-Earth asteroids involves hitting the stuff with sunlight or other forms of radiation, if three NASA-funded projects are any guide.

An engineer works on attaching NASA's Mars Helicopter to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover — which has been flipped over for that purpose — on Aug. 27, 2019, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Mars Helicopter Drone Installed on NASA's Next Red Planet Rover

By Mike Wall

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, attached the tiny Mars Helicopter to the agency's car-size Mars 2020 rover today (Aug. 28), agency officials announced.