Establishing a space mechanics corps proved harder than expected and neither practice took off. These days, however, more companies are launching satellites—each costing hundreds of millions of dollars—than ever before. And with more powerful computing, stronger and lighter materials, and smaller devices (such as SPIDER’s cameras and sensors), Tadros suggests we finally have the technology to go make satellites bigger and better. “To get that kind of capability available to a lot of other missions is the real promise of what we’re demonstrating here,” he says.