NASA successfully tests the world’s first inflatable heat shield
WHY THIS MATTERS IN SPACE An inflatable heat shield is lighter and easier to transport than a conventional one, but it also opens the door to new opportunities and use cases … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about...
Blue Origin’s Orbital Reef space station gets the green light from NASA
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As the ISS starts getting retired we need replacements, and those replacements are coming from the private sector. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, subscribe to the podcast, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, ...
MIT tries to defeat global warming with new space bubble concept
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF If our Plan A to “save the planet” from over heating fails we need a Plan B, and yes it’s odd … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, subscribe to the podcast, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about...
Self assembling tiles that make any kind of space structures ace first orbital tests
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF These re-configurable self-assembling space tiles make it possible to assemble almost any kind of structure in space autonomously. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, subscribe to the podcast, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, ...
NASA wants to be the first to launch a rocket from another planet by 2026
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF So far noone has launched a rocket from anywhere other than Earth, and now NASA has plans to be the first to launch from another planet – Mars. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read...
World’s first real warp bubble created by accident as scientists mull future warp drive
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Lab accidents are creating all manner of breakthroughs at the moment, in anti-biotics and now warp drives … what’s next?! Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my...
Radian unveils plans for revolutionary Single Stage To Orbit spaceplane
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF To break free of Earth’s gravity today we use two stage rocket and launch systems, Radian One will use just one and it will help democratise access to space even more. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses...
Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos announce plans to create the first private space station
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Increasingly rich individuals and private companies are taking on the roles that only governments used to be able to fund and afford. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, connect, watch...
Orbital Assembly plans to open first space hotel in 2027
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF In the future space is just that place you haven’t had a holiday in yet … and startups want to change that. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, connect, watch...
If satellites can withstand 10,000G then Spintronics can fling them into space
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Why use rockets to get stuff into space when you can literally fling it out of a centrifuge?! Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. For...
These inflatable houses could be home to future Martians
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Space agencies are eyeing up colonies on Mars – and they’re going to need awesome habitats. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and trends, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. So far I’ve...
China lays the groundwork to build giant spacecraft that are miles long
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF One day we will build megastructures in space, but first we have to figure out how … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Think of the world’s longest vehicle and you would...
Engineers finalise the design for a data center on the Moon
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF With all this talk of colonising the Moon, and Mars, we’re going to need technology to support the colonists – and a data center. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. So far...
Jeff Bezos becomes the first billionaire to travel to actual space
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Accessing space is getting cheaper, and entrepreneurs are starting to build the future space tourism industry. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. The future of the space tourism industry is beginning to...
The Pentagon wants to test a space based particle beam weapon by 2023
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Technology has advanced so much nowadays that space based particle beams could soon be an actual reality … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. The US Department of Defense wants to test...
Sir Richard Branson becomes the first billionaire to almost reach space
WHY THIS MATTERS IN SPACE New space planes are helping reduce the cost of accessing space and opening the door to space tourism. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. After years of preparation, three years late, and...
The world’s first satellite that can be re-programmed in orbit heads to final assembly
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Once a satellite is launched it normally does one thing and one thing alone and can never be altered or reprogrammed – now they can. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. So...
Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will travel to the ISS in December
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Space is the new billionaires playground – and they’re starting to head there in droves. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Just six months after NASA announced it wants to turn the...
Japanese billionaire looks for eight people to join him on a trip around the Moon
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Travelling around the Moon would be cool, so that’s why it matters … Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa invited the public on Tuesday to apply for a...