Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

History

Founded in 1948 as the Upper Air Laboratory, the first scientific instruments built at LASP were launched into space after World War II using captured German V-2 rockets. In 1963, the University of Colorado received $791,500 from NASA for the construction of a 25,000 square-foot building to study "ultraviolet physics, solar ultraviolet-radiation data from rockets, and the testing of solar-rocket pointing-control mechanisms". LASP maintains a suborbital rocket program through periodic calibration instrument flights from White Sands Missile Range. It changed to its current name in 1965. LASP has historical ties to Ball Aerospace Corporation and the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA).

The University of Colorado receives more NASA funding than any public university in the country, due in large part to LASP programs. Multiple companies have spun-off from research at LASP, including on electron beam dust mitigation for NASA.

Facilities

LASP has two main facilities located in the University of Colorado Boulder Research Park: the LASP Space Technology Research Center (LSTR) and Space Science (SPSC). Two additional facilities - Astrophysical Research Lab (ARL) and Space Learning Lab (SLL/NPL) - are also part of LASP.

The facilities allow LASP to execute almost every aspect of space missions. Hardware facilities and cleanrooms allow for the construction of single instruments or entire spacecraft. A Mission Operations Center allows for the control of spacecraft data collection, and a large research staff analyzes the data for science research.

As part of the university, LASP has heavy student involvement in every aspect of its operations, including science, hardware design, spacecraft integration, and mission operations. Graduate students regularly lead instrument development under the supervision of professors and scientists at the institute. Notable student-led instruments include the Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter on New Horizons and the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) as part of NASA's Explorers Program.

List of Missions

References

References

1. (5 August 2024). "NASA, LASP Sign Agreement To Advance Space Weather Research, Modeling - NASA". NASA Wallops Flight Facility.
2. "University of Colorado Boulder FY 2023-2024 Operating Budget". University of Colorado.
3. (27 June 2025). "Colorado university expecting cuts to its space program and partnerships with NASA". KKTV (Colorado Springs).
4. "Current Missions".
5. (1 August 1963). "Atmospheric and Space Physics Lab". Physics Today.
6. (3 August 2025). "CU Boulder LASP researchers earn NASA prize to fund space dust technology". The Denver Post.
7. "Press Kit - Atmosphere Explorer D". NASA.
8. (1 October 1985). "The global distribution of nitric oxide in the thermosphere as determined by the Atmosphere Explorer D satellite".
9. (5 August 1996). "Mechanics of Granular Materials (MGM)". NASA.
10. (21 August 2018). "Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) - NASA Science". NASA.
11. (5 May 1999). "COLLIDE: Collisions into Dust Experiment". NASA Glenn Research Center.
12. "COLLIDE". University of Central Florida.
13. "COLLIDE". University of Central Florida.
14. (15 November 2002). "COLLIDE-2: Collisions Into Dust Experiment-2". NASA Glenn Research Center.
15. "Quirkiest Space Shuttle Science". Smithsonian Magazine.
16. (16 December 2002). "Mechanics of Granular Materials-3 (MGM-3)". NASA.
17. (11 April 2012). "NASA’s Kepler planet-hunting mission, controlled by CU-Boulder students, to continue".
18. (2010). "The Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment : A CubeSat for Space Physics". Harvard University.
19. (December 29, 2009). "CU Students to Build Tiny Spacecraft to Observe ‘Space Weather’ Environment". Space News.
20. (27 March 2024). "Reflected Solar Instrument – CLARREO Pathfinder". NASA.
21. (8 October 2021). "Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor".
22. "Home". University of Colorado (LASP).
23. "Ballons {{!}} CNES". Centre national d'études spatiales.
24. "STRATEOLE-2 US – Long-duration balloon flights at the tropical tropopause".
25. "CTIM". NASA.