Spacecraft of the future may be able to detect and repair their own structural damage in orbit, a capability that could make long-duration missions and reusable launch vehicles more resilient.

Low Earth orbit is starting to look less like pristine frontier and more like a crowded scrapyard, packed with dead satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments that no longer serve any purpose.

NASA’s orbital debris program officially began in 1979. Lacking an official program designation at the time, it was initiated in the Space Sciences Branch at Johnson Space Center (JSC) as a result of ...

The Strait of Hormuz is exposing space warfare's future. Resilience comes from scale-deploy minimum viable capabilities now, ...

Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, speaks April 15, 2026 at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Credit: Tom Kimmell Photography COLORADO SPRINGS — Gen. Chance Saltzman in his final ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover the future of astronautics and space technologies. That visibility naturally invites a follow-on question: what comes next ...

Portal Space Systems is developing the Supernova vehicle for moving rapidly between orbits and the Starburst maneuverable spacecraft bus. Credit: Portal Space Systems WASHINGTON — Space mobility ...

Addressing the problem of orbital debris requires taking a long-term view, but such a view can be difficult for federal agencies that must operate subject to the variability of annual budgets. Even if ...