The broad, catch-all category for any hardware that operates outside the comforting blanket of an atmosphere. This ranges from the mundane (improved space toilet designs, more efficient solar panels) to the critical (radiation-hardened computer chips, hypergolic thrusters) to the ambitious (orbital manufacturing stations, asteroid mining rigs). It's the foundational, "keep the humans alive and the data flowing" tech that makes everything else in space possible, emphasizing extreme reliability, lightweight materials, and systems that can't be fixed with a quick service call.
*Example: "My uncle works on space technology. Not the sexy warp drive stuff—he designs better locking mechanisms for cargo latches on the Lunar Supply Shuttle. He says the difference between success and a cloud of expensive debris is often a 50-cent washer that can handle -270°C to +120°C without embrittling."* Space Technologies
by Abzugal January 30, 2026
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