For 75 years, CU Boulder has been a leader in space exploration and innovation. We travel to space to monitor sea level rise, melting ice, weather patterns and more. Our researchers explore how to track and remove dangerous debris in space. We research the health of humans in space to inform medical applications for people on Earth. Learn more about the latest in space research and science at CU Boulder.
 

The Andromeda Galaxy as seen by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)

Gravitational ‘kick’ may explain the strange shape at the center of Andromeda

Nov. 2, 2021

A new study dives into the explosive physics of what happens when two supermassive black holes collide.

Lightning strikes during storm

Lightning strikes may trigger short-term thinning in the ozone layer

Oct. 11, 2021

New research shows how a bizarre phenomenon that stretches from Earth's surface hundreds of miles into space can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere.

Image of the Chang'e 5 landing site taken from below the lander

First moon rocks in 45 years fill gap in lunar history

Oct. 7, 2021

China's Chang'e 5 mission landed in a region of the moon more than 850 miles from the nearest Apollo landing site. The rocks the mission collected are raising questions about how lava flowed across the lunar surface 2 billion years ago.

Xinzhao Chu's lidar facility in Antarctica (photo provided)

$3.3 million grant to advance climate and space weather research from Antarctica

Oct. 7, 2021

It is one of the coldest and most isolated places on Earth, but for a team of scientists and engineers from CU Boulder, it is the ideal location to conduct complex space-atmospheric research: the frozen tundra of Antarctica.

Artist's depiction of an asteroid belt

United Arab Emirates, LASP announce new mission to explore the asteroid belt

Oct. 6, 2021

A new space mission will travel to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to gather data on the origins of the universe.

Artist's depiction of a hot Jupiter orbiting its home star

New cereal box-sized satellite to explore alien planets

Sept. 23, 2021

For years, many scientists didn't think that CubeSats, or unusually small spacecraft, could take on serious science questions. Now, for the first time, a NASA-funded CubeSat mission will explore planets orbiting far-away stars.

SDO/EVE calibration rocket assembly in White Sands, New Mexico. (Credit: LASP)

LASP rocket flight to sharpen NASA’s study of the sun

Sept. 14, 2021

A Sept. 9 launch was part of a plan to ensure NASA's $850 million Solar Dynamics Observatory can continue to provide crucial space weather data needed to predict the potential impacts of solar flares on communication and navigation systems.

Graduate students Michael Klonowski, left, and Daniel Aguilar-Marsillach, right, work in the Raytheon Space & Intelligence Vision, Autonomy, and Decision Research (VADeR) at CU Boulder, which studies new methods for tracking and managing satellite traffic in space. (Credit: CU Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science)

New effort to bolster Colorado’s national security and aerospace workforce

Sept. 10, 2021

The University of Colorado Boulder has received a $2 million gift from The Anschutz Foundation to support the university’s diverse research in aerospace and national defense—from tracking and protecting satellites in orbit to improving the security of mobile devices.

Artist's depiction of the Parker Solar Probe approaching the sun. (Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University APL)

Researchers led by undergraduate discover river of dust around the sun

Sept. 9, 2021

Anna Pusack was an undergraduate studying astrophysics when she helped to discover a surprising phenomenon: a previously-unknown class of dust spraying out from around the sun.

A BioServe Space Technologies space automated lab incubator

BioServe Space Technologies hits 80 mission milestone

Sept. 2, 2021

When SpaceX CRS-23 launched to the International Space Station on Aug. 29, it carried with it a milestone for CU Boulder: the 80th mission to carry a payload from BioServe Space Technologies.

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