A counter small unmanned aircraft system program monitors the skies for adversary drones during Astral Knight 24 at Powidz Air Base in Poland on May 13, 2024. (US Air Force)
An intelligence specialist activates a Skydio X2 small unmanned aerial system to survey the defensive line for opposing forces during a simulated assault and seizure at Glen Airfield in Queensland, Australia, in July 2025. (US Marine Corps)
Long March 7 orbital launch vehicle carrying China's cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 on the launchpad in Wenchang, April 20, 2017 (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images)
A telescope at the quantum communication ground station in Xinglong, north China's Hebei Province, January 18, 2017 (Xinhua/Jin Liwang via Getty Images)