DARPA is exploring the potential of growing large-scale biological structures (500+ meters) in microgravity, leveraging recent advances in metabolic engineering and biological self-assembly. The initiative aims to revolutionize space infrastructure by enabling the biological manufacturing of structures like space elevator tethers, orbital debris nets, and space station components.
DARPA has issued a special notice for research and development in large bio-mechanical space structures, with responses due March 27, 2025. The contract focuses on basic research in national defense R&D services, specifically targeting physical, engineering, and life sciences applications.
Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, the world's first quantum processor using topological qubits, designed to scale to a million qubits on a single chip. The breakthrough involves a new material class called topoconductor, enabling practical quantum computing through hardware-protected qubits and digital control systems. DARPA has selected Microsoft to advance to the final phase of their quantum benchmarking program, aiming to build a fault-tolerant prototype in the coming years.