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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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Woodsat will test how plywood performs in space.

The world's first wooden satellite will launch this year

By Tereza Pultarova

The world’s first satellite made partially of wood is set to launch to space later this year. It will test how well the sustainable material deals with the harsh environment of space.

Artist's illustration of Relativity Space's Terran R rocket, a fully reusable 3D-printed vehicle that's expected to start flying in 2024.

Relativity Space unveils fully reusable, 3D-printed Terran R rocket

By Mike Wall

Relativity Space revealed details of Terran R, a new two-stage rocket that's key to the Southern California startup's bold off-Earth goals, which include helping humanity get a foothold on Mars.

Astra's Rocket 3.2 launches on a test flight from Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex on Dec. 15, 2020. The rocket reached space, a first for California-based Astra.

Astra to acquire propulsion company Apollo Fusion for launches beyond low Earth orbit

By Mike Wall

Astra announced on Monday (June 7) that it's acquiring Apollo Fusion, a company that builds electric-propulsion spacecraft engines.

An artist's concept of the U.S. Air Force's Rocket Cargo Vanguard program, which is studying the use of reusable commercial rockets to deliver cargo and supplies anywhere on Earth.

US Air Force wants a commercial Rocket Cargo Vanguard to fly stuff anywhere on Earth

By Elizabeth Howell

The U.S. Air Force has launched a Rocket Cargo program to study the use of commercial spacecraft to ship supplies around the world.

The Perseverance rover's plutonium-based Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator, or MMRTG, power source.

NASA's Perseverance rover is the 1st spacecraft in years to carry fresh US plutonium. It won't be the last.

By Meghan Bartels

Deep inside some of NASA's most venerable spacecraft beat similar plutonium-filled hearts to warm and power the robots.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch a baseball-sized transforming rover to the moon in 2022 with the company ispace

Japan will send a transforming robot ball to the moon to test lunar rover tech

By Elizabeth Howell

Japan plans to deploy a baseball-sized rover to explore the moon's surface in 2022.

An artist's depiction of a habitat built with fungal tissue.

There could be fungus among us on Mars with this wild astronaut house idea

By Meghan Bartels

A strange consequence of Lynn Rothschild's current research is that she ends up snapping photos of the more exotic mushroom offerings she encounters in the grocery store's produce aisle.

Stratolaunch's Roc carrier plane performed its second-ever test flight on April 29, 2021.

Stratolaunch flies world's largest airplane on 2nd test flight

By Mike Wall

Stratolaunch's Roc carrier plane, which is being groomed to haul hypersonic vehicles aloft, conducted its second-ever test flight this morning (April 29).

In September 2019, ESA's wind-monitoring satellite Aeolus came dangerously close to one of SpaceX's Starlink spacecraft. The space agency had to conduct an avoidance manoeuvre to prevent the collision.

Artificial intelligence is learning how to dodge space junk in orbit

By Tereza Pultarova

An AI-driven space debris-dodging system could soon replace expert teams dealing with growing numbers of orbital collision threats in the increasingly cluttered near-Earth environment.

light speed

New warp drive research dashes faster than light travel dreams, but reveals stranger possibilities

By Sam Baron

In 1994, physicist Miguel Alcubierre proposed a radical technology that would allow faster than light travel.

A depiction of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Solar Power Incremental and Demonstrations Research (SSPIDR) project, which aims to beam solar power from space to Earth. SSPIDR consists of several small-scale flight experiments that will mature technology needed to build a prototype solar power distribution system.

The US Air Force wants to beam solar power to Earth from space (video)

By Mike Wall

Space-based solar power won't be just a sci-fi dream forever, if things go according to the U.S. Air Force's plans.

Kristine Davis, a spacesuit engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, wearing a ground prototype of NASA’s new Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU), is seen during a demonstration of the suit, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA will continue to develop its xEMU suit while working with commercial partners on spacesuit and spacewalk technology.

NASA reaches out to commercial partners for new spacesuits and spacewalk tech

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA is looking to commercial partners to help develop the next generation of spacesuits and spacewalk technology.

NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity, as photographed by the Perseverance rover on April 19, 2021 — the day Ingenuity made the first-ever powered, controlled flight by an aircraft on a world beyond Earth.

More Mars helicopters? NASA is already thinking about Ingenuity's successors

By Mike Wall

NASA is already working to map out the bright exploration future opened up by its little Mars helicopter.

General Atomics, Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin each received contracts for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program's first phase.

US military picks 3 companies to test nuclear propulsion in cislunar space

By Elizabeth Howell

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has picked three big space companies for the first phase of a larger project to test nuclear propulsion above low Earth orbit by 2025.

An image captured by the Ingenuity Mars helicopter shows the vehicle's shadow on the surface of the Red Planet.

Arnold Schwarzenegger tells NASA to 'Get to the choppa!' for 1st Mars helicopter flight

By Chelsea Gohd

Arnold Schwarzenegger had some important words for NASA ahead of the historic first flight of the agency's Mars Helicopter Ingenuity.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter does a slow spin test of its blades on April 8, 2021, the 48th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. This image was captured by the Mastcam-Z on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover.

The Mars helicopter Ingenuity is about to make history in the skies of another world

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA is about to make history on the Red Planet with the first controlled, helicopter flight on another world.

NASA's Mars Helicopter Ingenuity is seen on the surface of the Red Planet by the perseverance rover on April 5, 2021.

Teach your kids about NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity with a free webcast today

By Tariq Malik

NASA engineers will teach kids about the Mars helicopter Ingenuity in a live webcast today. Here's how to watch.

The End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission will test a magnetic docking technique to remove space debris from orbit. The "servicer" satellite will use GPS to locate space debris and then latch onto it using a magnetic docking plate to carry it down toward the Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up.

Tiny Astroscale satellite will test space junk cleanup tech with magnets

By Samantha Mathewson

Astroscale just launched the first commercial space junk cleanup mission designed to locate and retrieve used satellites and other debris orbiting Earth.

The U.S. Space Force's robotic X-37B space plane carries a power-beaming experiment on its latest mission to Earth orbit.

Space-based solar power getting key test aboard US military's mysterious X-37B space plane

By Leonard David

The X-37B space plane is being used to flight-validate the best ways to gather the sun's energy for power beaming from Earth orbit.

This low-resolution view of the floor of Mars’ Jezero Crater and a portion of two wheels of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover was captured by the agency’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter on April 3, 2021. It’s the first color photo taken by Ingenuity on the Martian surface.

Mars Helicopter Ingenuity snaps 1st color photo on Red Planet

By Mike Wall

The 4-lb. (1.8 kilograms) chopper captured its first color photograph on Saturday (April 3), shortly after being lowered to the Martian dirt by the Perseverance rover.