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.
 

Illustration of lunar lander on the moon's surface

Radio telescope with CU Boulder ties lands at the moon’s South Pole

Feb. 6, 2024

In February, a lander named Odysseus designed by the company Intuitive Machines is scheduled to touch down on the moon, returning U.S. science to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years. Astrophysicists from CU Boulder will be along for the ride.

Technician in protective gear examines a computer chip

New instrument to capture stardust as part of NASA mission

Jan. 11, 2024

Scientists and engineers at the CU Boulder will soon take part in an effort to collect a bit of stardust—the tiny bits of matter that flow through the Milky Way Galaxy and were once the initial building blocks of our solar system.

Example of the mixed reality trajectory software.

Doctoral student designing augmented reality for space missions

Dec. 12, 2023

Dezell Turner loves orbital design, a critical step in planning any space mission, and he is plotting out a way to streamline the complex process with an interactive, augmented reality tool.

Artist's depiction of planet orbiting star

14-inch spacecraft delivers new details about ‘hot Jupiters’

Dec. 11, 2023

The Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE) spacecraft, led by a team of scientists from CU Boulder, is about the size of a cereal box. It has also recorded incredibly detailed measurements of the atmospheres of planets hundreds of light-years from Earth.

The majestic Flatirons above Boulder framed in fall colors.

CU Boulder logs another record-breaking year in research funding

Nov. 2, 2023

CU Boulder researchers attracted a record $684.2 million in fiscal year 2022–23 for studies that, among other things, elevate quantum science in Colorado, solve mysteries about the sun and provide even better data on sea ice, ice sheets, glaciers and more.

Bradley Cheetham with a model of the successful CAPSTONE satellite.

CU Boulder grads launch startups to change future of aerospace

Oct. 17, 2023

CU Boulder aerospace graduates are building the economy and future of the industry with aviation and space startup businesses.

lllustration of small spacecraft orbiting Earth

7 reasons to get excited about CU Boulder in space

Oct. 13, 2023

From rockets that reach the edge of Earth’s atmosphere to a historic journey to the moon’s South Pole, a landmark year for space exploration is coming for CU Boulder.

People in protective suits place a plaque on a space instrument in a clean room

Ralphie in space! One mascot and her adventures across the solar system

Oct. 12, 2023

For more than 30 years, teams at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU Boulder have emblazoned the image of the university's beloved buffalo mascot onto instruments destined for space. Follow Ralphie as she journeys from orbit around Earth to the rings of Saturn and beyond.

solar eclipse

Saturday’s solar eclipse will shift the weather

Oct. 10, 2023

Scientists from NOAA, CU Boulder and Colorado State University have now included the effects of solar eclipses in a key weather model, benefiting the energy industry.

A satellite next to the moon

CU Boulder leading $5M project to advance the space economy

Oct. 10, 2023

The space economy is booming, and CU Boulder is at the forefront of a major federal award aimed at expanding science and engineering knowledge and workforce development for projects centered around the moon.

Pages