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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Artist's rendering of a Gama solar sail in space.

SpaceX launches 1st European solar sail on Transporter 6 mission

By Andrew Jones published

French firm's solar sail launched on SpaceX mission last week.

LightSail 2 captured this image of Florida on Dec. 24, 2021.

Solar-sailing probes may soon get their moment in the sun

By Leonard David published

Solar sailing can be a relatively slow-motion affair, but progress in the nascent field is quickly gaining steam.

Boom Supersonic image of a passenger supersonic airliner above the clouds.

Boom Supersonic unveils new Symphony engine for faster-than-sound Overture airliner

By Jeff Spry published

Boom Supersonic has unveiled its new Symphony engine to serve as the cutting-edge propulsion system for its Overture airliner.

An artist's illustration of a Breakthrough Starshot nanocraft sailing by the potentially habitable exoplanet Proxima b.

This wild interstellar picogram probe idea could carry engineered microbes to other stars

By Charles Q. Choi published

Microbes carried by laser-propelled sails could serve as interstellar probes that can build communications stations to phone home from Alpha Centauri.

A General Electric Aviation F414-GE-100 engine was installed on NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft, at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

NASA's new X-59 supersonic plane gets powerful engine for quiet sonic booms

By Doris Elin Urrutia published

NASA's supersonic X-59 plane is now one step closer to its flight demonstration over U.S. communities now that it has its 13-foot engine for quiet sonic booms.

the curve of the earth and black of space is visible in this high altitude balloon photo, along with a piece of hardware flying above distant fields

Wild space 'ferry' concept uses paragliders to return satellites and science to Earth

By Elizabeth Howell published

Outpost recently tested a stratospheric paraglider to return space tech ahead of orbital ventures for NASA and other companies later in the 2020s.

The concept of the orbiting solar power plant called CASSIOPeIA by the U.K.-based International Electric Company.

Can space-based solar power really work? Here are the pros and cons.

By Tereza Pultarova published

The world is struggling to wean itself off fossil fuels. Should space-based solar power be part of the solution?

A view from the Galileo spacecraft of a "chaos" region on Jupiter's icy moon Europa.

How artificial intelligence is helping us explore the solar system

By Briley Lewis published

From identifying safe landing sites on Europa to understanding craters on the moon, machine learning is helping planetary scientists push the boundaries of space exploration.

This still from a Lockheed Martin video captures the moment of explosion during a burst test of an inflatable space habitat prototype for future astronauts.

Under pressure! Watch a Lockheed Martin inflatable space habitat explode (video)

By Andrew Jones published

Lockheed Martin has been blowing up its in-development inflatable space habitat in more ways than one.

NASA-funded fusion rocket design by University of Washington researchers.

Nuclear fusion breakthrough: What does it mean for space exploration?

By Leonard David published

Nuclear fusion has broad implications, fueling hopes of clean, limitless energy and the long-held dream of future rockets that are driven by nuclear propulsion.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter on the Martian surface as seen by the Perseverance rover.

Space helicopters will help us explore Mars and other worlds. Here's how.

By Rebecca Sohn published

When NASA scientists were planning the Mars Perseverance mission, they decided to try something new: Instead of just sending a rover, they'd also send up a small helicopter.

D-Orbit's ION satellite launched in January 2022 is testing a machine learning algorithm that can analyze Earth observation images onboard the satellite.

Amazon tests machine learning software to analyze satellite images from space

By Tereza Pultarova published

For the past 10 months, Amazon has been testing a machine learning software in space that can analyze Earth observation images on its own and send only the best ones to Earth.

The B-21 Raider stealth bomber unveiled by the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 2, 2022.

US Air Force unveils new B-21 Raider stealth bomber, most advanced military aircraft ever

By Brett Tingley published

The U.S. Air Force unveiled the new Northrop Grumman-built B-21 Raider stealth bomber Friday (Dec. 2) to be the new backbone of the Air Force's fleet.

An image of the new B-21 raider hidden under a shroud.

US Air Force unveils new B-21 Raider stealth bomber today. Here's what we know

By Brett Tingley published

The U.S. Air Force will unveil the new Northrop Grumman-built B-21 Raider stealth bomber today (Dec. 2), an aircraft that has been called "the most advanced military aircraft ever built."

Artist's illustration of ICON's envisioned Project Olympus lunar construction system in action on the moon.

Building on the moon: NASA awards Texas company $57 million for lunar construction system

By Mike Wall published

NASA just awarded the Texas-based company ICON $57.2 million for its Project Olympus, which is working to develop technology that will allow humanity to build outposts on the moon and Mars.

An illustration of the LightSail 2 spacecraft disintegrating in Earth's atmosphere.

LightSail 2 spacecraft ends its solar-sailing mission in a blaze of glory

By Robert Lea published

LightSail 2's 3.5-year mission came to an end on Nov. 17 when the sunshine-riding craft burned up upon reentry to Earth's atmosphere.

An illustration of how solar power could be beamed from space.

Space-based solar power could really work, experiment shows

By Tereza Pultarova published

European aerospace giant Airbus demonstrated how solar power could be beamed from space in a new experiment.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet carry a new solar array for the International Space Station in a June 6, 2021 spacewalk.

Watch NASA astronauts take a spacewalk outside space station today

By Tariq Malik published

Two NASA astronauts will float outside the International Space Station today to prepare the orbiting lab for new solar wings and you can watch it live online.

An image of the new B-21 Raider hidden under a shroud.

US Air Force will unveil its advanced new B-21 Raider stealth bomber on Dec. 2.

By Brett Tingley published

On Dec. 2, the world will finally get a glimpse at the B-21 Raider, a new stealth bomber that has been described as "the most advanced military aircraft ever built."

Stratolaunch's giant carrier plane Roc and its Talon-A testbed above the runway with dust behind

Stratolaunch's Roc, the world's largest plane, aces 1st flight carrying hypersonic prototype

By Tariq Malik published

Stratolaunch flew a prototype of its planned air-launched Talon hypersonic vehicle for the first time on Friday (Oct. 28).