China is planning to build miles-wide'megastructures' in orbit, including solar power plants, tourism complexes, gas stations and even asteroid mining facilities. The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced a new five-year plan, directing researchers to develop technologies and techniques. The structures will require lightweight materials to allow larger objects to get into orbit with existing rockets. Researchers will also need to adopt technology to allow for in-orbit assembly and control. The Chinese government said there is an'urgent need' for megaprojects in space that would require ultra-large spacecraft to keep them in orbit.

Solar power stations in space that beam'emission-free electricity' down to Earth could soon be a reality thanks to a UK government funded project. Above the Earth there are no clouds and no day or night that could obstruct the sun's ray – making a space solar station a constant zero carbon power source. The UK government commissioned new research into the concept of space-based solar power (SBSP) stations as a way to meet the Earth's growing energy needs. The idea is that the stations would capture the Sun's energy that never makes it to Earth and use laser beams to safely send the energy back to Earth. It's an idea first conjured by science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov in 1941 in his science fiction short story Reason where it was revealed a station a mile across was used as an'energy converter' to gather sunlight and beam it across the solar system.