Engineering news, features and articles

Engineering is a diverse branch of science and technology devoted to designing, building, problem-solving and finding practical uses for scientific discoveries. Live Science guides you through the different types of engineering— mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering and many more — with explainers on everything from who invented the telephone to how Bluetooth works. Our expert writers and editors also scour the internet to break down the biggest engineering stories of the day, like biodegradable bullets or the world’s longest bridges. So, if you've got a mind for the mechanical, check out our latest engineering news, features and articles.
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China creates powerful spy satellite capable of seeing facial details from low orbit
By Alan Bradley published
New laser-based imaging technology is reportedly capable of capturing millimeter resolution from over 60 miles away.

Boom Supersonic's XB-1 smashes the sound barrier — becoming the 1st civil aircraft to go supersonic in US history
By Rory Bathgate published
By achieving a top speed of Mach 1.1, Boom Supersonic has broken records and is on course to revive supersonic passenger travel.

Boom Supersonic's next-generation XB-1 passenger plane 1 step away from breaking the sound barrier
By Rory Bathgate published
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator craft could become the first commercial jet to break the sound barrier since Concorde after acing its 11th test and reaching 0.95 Mach at low altitudes.

Top-secret X-37B space plane has been in orbit for more than 1 year
By Leonard David published
In case you forgot it was still up there.

Passenger plane with entirely new 'blended wing' shape aims to hit the skies by 2030
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published
A new type of passenger plane will adopt a design that blends wings into the aircraft's body, which its creators say will cut fuel consumption by 50% and reduce noise.

Lasers powered by sunlight could beam energy through space to support interplanetary missions
By Skyler Ware published
New research has found a way to power spacecraft with lasers generated using solar energy alone.

World's 1st nuclear-diamond battery of its kind could power devices for 1000s of years
By Ruari McCallion published
The world's first nuclear-diamond battery uses carbon-14 to power devices for more than 10,000 years.

Stealth destroyer 1st to carry hypersonic missiles that travel 5 times the speed of sound — with testing imminent
By Peter Ray Allison published
The Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers will mounted with experimental hypersonic weapon systems, but what makes this technology so lethal?
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