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.
 

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.

An aerial image of the Martian surface (Image via NASA)

Dust storms on Mars play a huge role in drying out the planet

Aug. 20, 2021

A new Nature Astronomy study led by Michael Chaffin, a researcher at CU Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, indicates that regional dust storms can play a significant role in drying out the Red Planet.

Close up image of the Sun (Image credit: NASA)

Scientists inch closer to cracking mysteries of space weather

Aug. 13, 2021

New research from CU Boulder could help scientists better understand the phenomena behind sunspots and the sun's mysterious inner workings.

Marcus Holzinger testifying before the U.S. Congress

Marcus Holzinger speaks to U.S. Senate on commercial use of space

July 26, 2021

Marcus Holzinger addressed the U.S. Congress, testifying recently before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Space and Science, about space situational awareness and space traffic management.

A sunset photo taken from the International Space Station, showing several layers of Earth’s atmosphere. (Image credit: NASA Johnson Space Center)

Branson vs. Bezos: Who wins the race depends on your definition of outer space

July 19, 2021

The lack of a uniform definition of where space begins has scientific and engineering implications that extend well beyond which billionaire gets there first.

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