The 10 Most Important Aerospace Innovations Of The Year

These are the Best Of What's New

By Kelsey D. Atherton, Sophie Bushwick

Updated on May 19, 2021

Share

juno spacecraft
Bigelow Aerospace Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM): Inflatable Space House
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works SPIDER: An Airship-Fixing Robot
SpaceX Falcon 9: Rocket Sticks the Sea Landing
Perlan Project Inc Airbus Perlan Mission II: Gliding to the Edge of Space
Zapata Industries Flyboard Air: High-Flying Hoverboard
Aerion Corporation AS2: Supersonic Returns
Facebook Aquila: Internet Via Drone
German Aerospace Center HY4: Hydrogen-Cell Four-Seater
A MAJIC prototype is tested on a NASA microgravity flight

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

 

Win the Holidays with PopSci's Gift Guides

Shopping for, well, anyone? The PopSci team’s holiday gift recommendations mean you’ll never need to buy another last-minute gift card.

SEE GIFT GUIDES