Aerospace & Space Sciences

 

The future of flight and space exploration is here. 

From pioneering the next generation of autonomous aircraft to leading mission operations for NASA, CU Boulder is at the forefront of aerospace innovation. We connect groundbreaking discovery to real-world testing and deployment, serving as a global hub for the aerospace economy and tackling the industry’s most complex operational and technical challenges.

Strategic Focus Areas

Space Science & Exploration

  • CU Boulder is among the few universities that manage full-scale NASA missions—including Kepler, IXPE and GOLD—advancing exploration of the Sun, planets, and deep space through LASP and APS
An illustration depicts NASA's IXPE satellite pointed at a nebula in space with three identical X-ray optics imagers at top, sensors at bottom and solar arrays. Image courtesy of NASA

Human Spaceflight & Bioastronautics

  • Pioneering life-support systems and microgravity research for the next generation of astronauts
  • World leader in designing and building ultraviolet, infrared, and solar monitoring instruments for science, commercial and defense applications
Astronaut performing an experiment

National Security & Defense

  • Resilient space and orbit architecture, RF sensing and PNT (Position, Navigation & Timing)
  • Small Satellite Leadership: National hub for CubeSat design, fabrication, and on-orbit testing; the only entity with a 100% success rate in orbit for small satellite deployment and operations
Satellite dish

Autonomous & Unmanned Systems

  • Advancing UAVs and robotics for disaster response and complex environments
Drone over a forest

Earth Monitoring & Climate

  • Monitoring Earth’s vital signs—from melting ice to weather patterns
A researcher monitors icemelt as part of the MOSAIC mission

Key Departments, Institutes, Centers & Programs

Partnering with the Aerospace Ecosystem

We simplify the path to innovation for our corporate and government partners:

 

Streamlined contracting pathways

Guided by tools to reduce negotiation timelines (e.g. term sheets and modular IP menus)

 

Industry Research Partnerships (IRP)

Dedicated team providing concierge-level support for research collaborations 

 

Talent recruitment, shared facilities and testing services

Access to faculty expertise, unique instrumentation and emerging talent pipelines 

 

Venture Partners at CU Boulder

Campus commercialization arm that spins out startups

Connect with Us

Chris Gustavson

Executive Director, Industry Research Partnerships
RESEARCH & INNOVATION OFFICE
  chris.gustavson@colorado.edu

Ryan Nalty

Director, Aerospace & Defense Sectors
INDUSTRY RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS
  ryan.nalty@colorado.edu