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Ten years in space: Remembering a decade of achievements in the final frontier

 

As we approach the end of 2019, we can look back and celebrate a remarkable set of achievements in our understanding and exploration of the universe beyond our planet. Here are ten of the finest achievements in space of the last 10 years.

Hubble Space Telescope reveals the beauty of the universe

NASA

The Hubble Space Telescope is the grande dame of the astronomy world, providing a seemingly unending trove of data and images about space – especially since the high-definition Wide Field Camera 3 was installed in 2009. In this decade, data from Hubble has helped to pin down the rate of expansion of the universe, measure the age of star clusters, and taught us more about dark matter, to name just a few of the achievements enabled by this unique instrument. It’s also helped stoke the public’s interest in astronomy by capturing some truly beautiful images of deep space.

Visiting bodies in our solar system

This illustration depicts Juno in an elliptical, polar orbit around Jupiter. NASA

This decade has also seen more exploration of our solar system than ever before, with the Juno craft visiting Jupiter in 2016, the Dawn craft making the first visit to a dwarf planet, Ceres, in 2015, the Messenger probe becoming the first to orbit Mercury in 2011, and the New Horizons mission becoming not only the first craft to explore Pluto in 2015, but also visiting the furthest object ever explored, Arrokoth, in 2019.

The span of time between 2010 to 2020 brought some of the most amazing technological advances the world has ever seen, so in the spirit of reflection, we’ve compiled a series of stories that take a look back at the previous decade through a variety of different lenses. Explore more of our Ten Years of Tech series.
ten years of tech tenyearsoftech 4

Cassini’s Grand Finale

Artist’s rendition of Cassini passing behind Titan, with the Sun in the background. NASA/JPL-Caltech

The 19-year Cassini mission to Saturn launched in 1997 was a huge success, and it ended in equally spectacular fashion. As part of the craft’s “Grand Finale” before running out of fuel, it was deliberately deorbited into Saturn’s atmosphere in 2017. In its last minutes, the craft dove closer to Saturn than any craft has come before or since, gathering data until the last possible second that is still being analyzed for scientific insights today. The last dive ensured that the craft was destroyed safely and would not pollute the planet or any of its moons with biological matter.

Hayabusa 1 brings the first sample of an asteroid back to Earth

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 1 became the craft first to return a sample of an asteroid back to Earth in 2010, having visited a small near-Earth asteroid named 25143 Itokawa in 2005. This pristine sample was an invaluable resource for scientists observing asteroids, as typically when they analyze meteorites it is difficult or impossible to determine their origin.

Voyager 1 becomes the first human-made object in interstellar space

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In the late 70s, forward-thinking scientists undertook a remarkable project: Launching the Voyager 1 space probe into deep space. The probe spent the 70s and 80s traveling through our solar system, and by the early 2000s, it was out on the fringes of space. In 2012, the probe crossed the boundary of space affected by the Sun’s solar wind, called the heliopause, and entered interstellar space, becoming the first human-made object ever to do so. The plucky little probe is expected to continue its mission into the next decade, until 2025.

First-ever detection of gravitational waves

Part of the LIGO team, including David Shoemaker and Rainer Weiss Bryce Vickmark

Physicists had long predicted the existence of ripples in space-time called gravitational waves but no one had ever observed one. An instrument built to detect them, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) had been operating since 2002 without any success. But perseverance does pay off, and in 2015 LIGO finally saw gravitational waves when two black holes, each around 30 times the mass of our Sun, collided and sent out ripples which could be detected from Earth. The LIGO team won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017 for their efforts.

SpaceX landed its first orbital rocket booster

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This decade has seen an explosion of innovation in the private space sector, arguably led by SpaceX. In 2015, the company landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket after takeoff in a huge milestone for the development of reusable rockets. Reusable rockets have been considered by organizations like NASA since the 1960s, but SpaceX were the ones to finally make them happen.

First image of black hole captured

NASA's Black Hole Visualization
NASA

An international team of astronomers made headlines in 2019 when they achieved something that had previously been considered impossible: They imaged a black hole. As black holes absorb everything which comes close to them, even light, it was thought impossible to observe one visually. Taking the iconic image of M87* in the Messier 87 galaxy required the use of radio telescopes around the globe from Hawaii to Antarctica which turned the Earth itself into a virtual array powerful enough to observe the event horizon of a black hole for the first time.

Landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars

This self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle on Vera Rubin Ridge, which it’s been investigating for the past several months. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

There have been pioneering rovers on Mars since the trail-blazing Sojourner in 1997, but none have been as technologically complex as Curiosity, the NASA rover that landed in Mars’s Gale Crater in 2012. Curiosity is far larger and heavier than previous Mars rovers, making it much more challenging to land. It is equipped with sophisticated instruments that have captured haunting images of the Martian landscape, uncovered organic molecules in rock samples, and even found evidence that the planet could once have supported microbial life. The mission is also notable for its highly effective public outreach, including the rover’s utterly delightful first-person Twitter account.

Completion of the International Space Station

NASA/Crew of STS-132 / NASA

The ISS was completed in 2011, and it has enabled humanity to maintain a continuous presence in space throughout this decade. It’s easy for us to take it for granted, but the construction of the ISS is arguably the most important scientific achievement of the 21st century. Not only has the station provided a venue for scientific research into everything from experimental cancer drugs to understanding dark matter to how to make future space missions safer for astronauts, but it is also a truly remarkable accomplishment of international cooperation in a time of global mistrust and uncertainty.

The span of time between 2010 to 2020 brought some of the most amazing technological advances the world has ever seen, so in the spirit of reflection, we’ve compiled a series of stories that take a look back at the previous decade through a variety of different lenses. Explore more of our Ten Years of Tech series.
ten years of tech tenyearsoftech 4
Georgina Torbet
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
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Official Imagery for Amazon Project Kuiper.

Amazon is aiming to take on SpaceX’s Starlink internet service using thousands of its own Project Kuiper satellites in low-Earth orbit.

The first Project Kuiper satellites were suppsoed to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida on April 9, but rough weather conditions forced the mission team to scrub the planned liftoff.

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EVs top gas cars in German reliability report — but one weak spot won’t quit
future electric cars 2021 volkswagen id4 official 32

Electric vehicles are quietly crushing old stereotypes about being delicate or unreliable, and the data now backs it up in a big way. According to Germany’s ADAC — Europe’s largest roadside assistance provider — EVs are actually more reliable than their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. And this isn’t just a small study — it’s based on a staggering 3.6 million breakdowns in 2024 alone.
For cars registered between 2020 and 2022, EVs averaged just 4.2 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles, while ICE cars saw more than double that, at 10.4 per 1,000. Even with more EVs hitting the road, they only accounted for 1.2% of total breakdowns — a big win for the battery-powered crowd.
Among standout performers, some cars delivered exceptionally low breakdown rates. The Audi A4 clocked in at just 0.4 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles for 2022 models, with Tesla’s Model 3 right behind at 0.5. The Volkswagen ID.4, another popular EV, also impressed with a rate of 1.0 – as did the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross at 1.3. On the flip side, there were some major outliers: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 showed a surprisingly high 22.4 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles for its 2022 models, while the hybrid Toyota RAV4 posted 18.4.
Interestingly, the most common issue for both EVs and ICE vehicles was exactly the same: the humble 12-volt battery. Despite all the futuristic tech in EVs, it’s this old-school component that causes 50% of all EV breakdowns, and 45% for gas-powered cars. Meanwhile, EVs shine in categories like engine management and electrical systems — areas where traditional engines are more complex and failure-prone.
But EVs aren’t completely flawless. They had a slightly higher rate of tire-related issues — 1.3 breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles compared to 0.9 for ICE cars. That could be due to their heavier weight and high torque, which can accelerate tire wear. Still, this trend is fading in newer EVs as tire tech and vehicle calibration improve.
Now, zooming out beyond Germany: a 2024 Consumer Reports study in the U.S. painted a different picture. It found that EVs, especially newer models, had more reliability issues than gas cars, citing tech glitches and inconsistent build quality. But it’s worth noting that the American data focused more on owner-reported problems, not just roadside breakdowns.
So, while the long-term story is still developing, especially for older EVs, Germany’s data suggests that when it comes to simply keeping you on the road, EVs are pulling ahead — quietly, efficiently, and with far fewer breakdowns than you might expect.

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You can now lease a Hyundai EV on Amazon—and snag that $7,500 tax credit
amazon autos hyundai evs lease ioniq 6 n line seoul mobility show 2025 mk08

Amazon has changed how we shop for just about everything—from books to furniture to groceries. Now, it’s transforming the way we lease cars. Through Amazon Autos, you can now lease a brand-new Hyundai entirely online—and even better, you’ll qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit if you choose an electric model like the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, or Kona EV.
Here’s why that matters: As of January 2025, Hyundai’s EVs no longer qualify for the tax credit if you buy them outright, due to strict federal rules about battery sourcing and final assembly. But when you lease, the vehicle is technically owned by the leasing company (Hyundai Capital), which allows it to be classified as a “commercial vehicle” under U.S. tax law—making it eligible for the credit. That savings is typically passed on to you in the form of lower lease payments.
With Amazon’s new setup, you can browse Hyundai’s EV inventory, secure financing, trade in your current vehicle, and schedule a pickup—all without leaving the Amazon ecosystem.
It’s available in 68 markets across the U.S., and pricing is fully transparent—no hidden fees or haggling. While Hyundai is so far the only automaker fully participating, more are expected to join over time.
Pioneered by the likes of Tesla, purchasing or leasing vehicles online has been a growing trend since the Covid pandemic.
A 2024 study by iVendi found that 74% of car buyers expect to use some form of online process for their next purchase. In fact, 75% said online buying met or exceeded expectations, with convenience and access to information cited as top reasons. The 2024 EY Mobility Consumer Index echoed this trend, reporting that 25% of consumers now plan to buy their next vehicle online—up from 18% in 2021. Even among those who still prefer to finalize the purchase at a dealership, 87% use online tools for research beforehand.
Meanwhile, Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study reveals that while 86% of U.S. consumers still want to test-drive a vehicle in person, digital tools are now a critical part of the buying journey.
Bottom line? Amazon is making it easier than ever to lease an EV and claim that tax credit—without the dealership hassle. If you're ready to plug in, it might be time to add to cart.

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