The Most Powerful Space Moments of the 2010s

It's been an incredible decade for our solar system and beyond. Humanity has stretched its tendrils farther out into space than ever before. We explored asteroids, comets, new moons of Saturn, and the surface of Mars. Scientists detected gravitational waves and—in an incredible feat of technology and innovation—we recycled a rocket for the first time, ushering in a new era of exploration.

The decade started out with the retirement of a spaceflight workhorse (adios, space shuttles!) and ended with the announcement of an exciting new mission back to the moon (hello, Artemis!). Here, Popular Mechanics looks back at the most powerful moments in space and astronomy of the 2010s. It'll be a thrill to see what happens in the next decade.