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 the Hubble Space Telescope passing in front of the moon during a total lunar eclipse.

Researchers take the ultimate Earth selfie

Aug. 6, 2020

In a new study, scientists led by astrophysicist Allison Youngblood set out to view Earth's atmosphere, but with a twist—they wanted to capture what the planet might look like as a far-away world.

An abnormally bright spot in the nightglow just above Mars' equator.

A new look at Mars’ eerie, ultraviolet nighttime glow

Aug. 6, 2020

See the announcement from NASA Every night on Mars, when the sun sets and temperatures fall to minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit and below, an eerie phenomenon spreads across much of the planet’s sky: a soft glow created by chemical reactions occurring tens of miles above the surface. An astronaut standing...

The assembled Hope spacecraft sitting in a clean room.

Emirates Mars Mission to begin journey to the red planet

July 15, 2020

Researchers from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) worked side-by-side with teams from the United Arab Emirates to help them make this history-making mission a reality.

A graphic showing the orbits of dark, icy bodies that tilt out of the plane of the solar system

The collective power of the solar system’s dark, icy bodies

July 7, 2020

Two new studies by researchers at CU Boulder may help to solve one of space’s biggest mysteries: why the solar system’s “detached objects” don’t circle the sun the way they should.

A computer-generated image representing space debris as could be seen from high Earth orbit. (Image provided by NASA)

Solving the space junk problem

May 26, 2020

Aging satellites and space debris crowd low-Earth orbit, and launching new satellites adds to collision risks. The most effective way to solve the space junk problem involves an international agreement to charge operators orbital-use fees.

An illustration of a satellite in orbit

Do increased extraterrestrial ambitions threaten the future of space?

May 18, 2020

As more private companies get involved in commercial space activities, the sustainability of space exploration comes into question. Researchers have teamed up to explore norms and rules to help ensure space remains accessible to future generations.

Jim Bridenstein tours the new aerospace building on the CU Boulder campus.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine congratulates aerospace graduates

May 16, 2020

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine recorded a special video for the aerospace graduation ceremony, offering congratulations to graduates.

Part of a CubeSat that CU Boulder students are building remotely

Spacebound while homebound: CU Boulder students designing a satellite from home

May 5, 2020

Working entirely via Zoom, remote desktop connections and webcams, a CU Boulder team is constructing and programming a satellite none of its members can currently touch. Welcome to designing a CubeSat during the coronavirus pandemic.

An image showing the Freezer Refrigerator Incubator Device for Galley and Experimentation, or FRIDGE

New FRIDGE could bring real ice cream to space

April 28, 2020

Astronaut ice cream—the crunchy, freeze-dried, pale imitation of the real thing—may have met its match: The International Space Station is getting a real freezer.

Sun sets over Earth as seen from a window on the International Space Station.

New satellite to continue 40 years of solar measurements

April 21, 2020

A new space mission will serve as the next phase in a long-running effort to take the temperature of the sun.

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