Space

From miniature satellites to giant sun shields – the extreme technology transforming space engineering

The Sunshield test unit to be used on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is stacked and expanded at a cleanroom in the Northrop Grumman facility in Redondo Beach, California, in this NASA handout picture released July 25, 2014. The Sunshield separates the observatory into a warm sun-facing side and a cold side where the sunshine is blocked from interfering with the sensitive infrared instruments. REUTERS/NASA/Chris Gunn/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - TM3EA7P0U2M01

Space technology is miniaturizing. Image: REUTERS/NASA/Chris Gunn

Colin McInnes
James Watt Chair, University of Glasgow
Malcolm McRobb
Research Associate of Systems Power & Energy, University of Glasgow
Zhongxu Hu
Research Associate of Systems Power and Energy, University of Glasgow
Share:
Our Impact
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Space is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:

Space

CubeSat in hand Image: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA
Have you read?
Primary mirror of the James Webb telescope. Image: NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
SpaceManufacturingFourth Industrial RevolutionCities and Urbanization
Share:
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

More on Space
See all

These are the space missions to look out for in the 2020s

Ian Shine

September 28, 2023

1:13

India makes historic landing on Moon's South Pole

About Us

Events

Media

More from the Forum

Partners & Members

  • Join Us

Language Editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

© 2023 World Economic Forum