The 10 Most Important Aerospace Innovations Of The Year

These are the Best Of What's New

By Kelsey D. Atherton, Sophie Bushwick

Updated May 19, 2021 10:44 AM EDT

juno spacecraft — NASA

Bigelow Aerospace Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM): Inflatable Space House — Bigelow Aerospace

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works SPIDER: An Airship-Fixing Robot — Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

SpaceX Falcon 9: Rocket Sticks the Sea Landing — SpaceX

Perlan Project Inc Airbus Perlan Mission II: Gliding to the Edge of Space — Perlan Project Inc

Zapata Industries Flyboard Air: High-Flying Hoverboard — Zapata Industries

Aerion Corporation AS2: Supersonic Returns — Aerion Corporation

Facebook Aquila: Internet Via Drone — Facebook

German Aerospace Center HY4: Hydrogen-Cell Four-Seater — German Aerospace Center

A MAJIC prototype is tested on a NASA microgravity flight — Draper

Read about the other Best of What’s New winners from the November/December 2016 issue of Popular Science.