Engineering
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![Two CubeSats, part of a constellation built and operated by Planet Labs Inc. to take images of Earth, were launched from the International Space Station on May 17, 2016.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FgyF7fUTLgTMd9trfrieFZ-320-80.jpg)
Hackers could shut down satellites — or turn them into weapons
By William Akoto published
![Boeing's Phantom Express XS-1 space plane design is shown in launch position in this artist's concept. The autonomous spacecraft is designed to launch vertically, deploy a second stage payload into orbit and return to Earth for a runway landing.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/H4tYPmxY523jLH2CneJdJj-320-80.jpg)
DARPA scraps XS-1 military space plane project after Boeing drops out
By Mike Wall published
Boeing has withdrawn from Experimental Spaceplane, a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program designed to increase the nation's access to space.
![A manufactured quadruped measuring 650 to 750 microns in diameter — just a little smaller than the head of a pin — was built from amphibian stem cells.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hPio9oXE73b6NhFJiBF2HD-320-80.jpg)
World's First 'Living Machine' Created Using Frog Cells and Artificial Intelligence
By Mindy Weisberger published
Scientists used computer algorithms to "evolve" an organism that's made of 100% frog DNA — but it isn't a frog.
![The Starship MK1 assembled at SpaceX's build and launch facility in Texas.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VtCXZg9maz5JntQHuskFVU-320-80.jpg)
Could Elon Musk's Starship Threaten Alien Life?
By Samantha Rolfe published
Elon Musk's bold plan to send a crewed Starship to Mars and beyond has potential dire consequences for alien life.
![Military vehicles carrying DF-17 missiles parade through Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5bEFRX6FwfCr67wk7pPrRF-320-80.jpg)
Why You Shouldn't Worry About China’s New 'Hypersonic' Nuclear Death Machine
By Rafi Letzter published
China already had the power to kill you with nukes. This doesn't change anything, but it could fan the flames of an arms race.
![The U.S. Air Force's X-37B robotic space plane in orbit, as photographed by satellite tracker Ralf Vandebergh.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qPdNFetmNuShu96JoeyaN3-320-80.jpg)
Skywatcher Captures Rare Image of Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane
By Leonard David published
We still don't know what the X-37B is doing up there, however.
![NASA's Deep Space Atomic Clock, seen here in an artist's illustration, will test out new technology to for deep-space navigation.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/be2s6Wb9bmzNnAuQPb4qpf-320-80.jpg)
NASA Set To Launch a Deep-Space Atomic Clock Tonight
By Kasandra Brabaw published
This technology demonstration mission that could transform the way humans explore space.
![null](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uhMtCAB2p7gnrKeaVBSuPa-320-80.jpg)
Physicists Built a Machine That Breaks the Normal Rules of Light
By Rafi Letzter published
Physicists have built a ring in which pulses of light whip circles around each other and the normal rules that govern light's behavior stop applying.
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