Missions

Fueling new discoveries

Since the dawn of the space age, LASP has actively engaged in missions of exploration. From historic journeys of discovery — such as Voyager 1 and 2 — to future missions to more accurately measure Earth’s radiation budget, to better understand the asteroid belt, and to search the Jovian moon Europa for conditions suitable for life, LASP is fueling new discoveries in space science.

CU Boulder undergraduate and graduate students participate in every aspect of these missions and also regularly lead instrument development under the supervision of LASP professionals. Student-led instruments include the Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter on New Horizons and the Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE).

Explore LASP's Missions:

All Missions

AE-C & D

Explored Earth's energy transfer

AEPEX

Imaging energetic particle precipitation

AIM

Exploring clouds on the edge of space

CANVAS

Mapping very low frequency wave energy from terrestrial sources in near-Earth space

Cassini

Explored the Saturn system for the first time

CIRBE

Elucidating inner radiation belt electrons

CLARREO Pathfinder

Unparalleled accuracy to understand our changing climate

COLLIDE-2

Studied dust collisions on the Space Shuttle

CSIM

Miniaturizing technology to study spectral irradiance

CSSWE

Student led mission to understand space weather

CTIM

Next-gen technology for total solar irradiance monitoring

CUTE

CubeSat studying the most extreme exoplanets

DEUCE

Sounding rocket to narrow the search for habitable planets

DYNAGLO

Connecting terrestrial dynamics to space weather

EMM

UAE's first interplanetary mission to Mars

Europa Clipper

Exploring Jupiter's icy moon for conditions suitable for life

EVE Rocket Program

Calibrating the EVE instrument in space

Galileo

Explored the Jovian system

GDC

First global measurements of Earth's upper atmosphere-magnetosphere coupling

Glory

Designed to monitor the Sun

GOES-R+

Monitoring Earth's meteorological phenomena

GOLD

Imaging the boundary between Earth and space

GTOSat

A CubeSat to study radiation belt dynamics from beyond LEO

HySICS

Balloons that measured Earth-reflected radiation

ICESat

Tracked Earth's ice sheets

IMAP

Studying the solar wind boundary of our solar system

INFUSE

Imaging shock fronts from a supernova remnant

INSPIRE Program

Advancing space science internationally

IXPE

Measuring the cosmos to learn about space extreme environments

Kepler

Unlocked the habitable universe

LADEE

Studied lunar dust to learn more about the Moon

Libera

Extending the decades-long record of Earth's energy budget

MANTIS

Investigating the impact of stellar UV on exoplanet atmospheres

Mariner 5

Exploration mission to Venus

Mariner 6, 7, 9

Early missions to document Mars

Mars 96

Attempted to investigate the evolution and physics of Mars

MAVEN

Deciphering Mars' atmospheric history

MESSENGER

Mission to Mercury

MGM

Microgravity experiment to understand Earth materials

MinXSS

Measured solar soft X-rays in a small package

MMS

Constellation that investigates Earth's magnetosphere

NEO Surveyor

Finding asteroids before they find us

New Horizons

Investigating Pluto and beyond

OSO-5 & 8

Solar physics experiments above the atmosphere

Pioneer Venus

A comprehensive investigation of Venus' atmosphere

Polar

Observed the polar magnetosphere

PSP

Exploring the Sun closer than ever before

QuikSCAT

Predicted major weather conditions over the oceans

SDO

Watching the Sun in multiple wavelengths

SISTINE

Sounding rockets to study the environments of extrasolar planets

SME

Investigated ozone in the mesosphere

SNIFS

First-of-its-kind measurement to probe the lower solar atmosphere

SNOE

Student-led mission to explore Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere

SORCE

Studied the Sun and its influence on humankind

SPARTAN Halley

Set out to observe Halley's Comet

SPRITE

Observing the influence of massive stars in galaxies

Strateole Program

High-altitude balloon program to study the tropopause

SunCET

Examining how massive solar explosions accelerate

TCTE

Monitored incoming solar energy to study the causes of climate change

THEMIS

Observing the processes that drive aurora

TIMED

Exploring the mysteries of Earth's upper atmosphere

TSIS -1

Enhancing the legacy of solar radiation measurements

TSIS-2

Enhancing the legacy of solar radiation measurements

UARS

Discovered the wonders of Earth's ozone

Van Allen Probes

Understanding Earth's Van Allen Belts

Voyager 1 & 2

Reaching far into our solar system and beyond

Mission Class

Missions by Class

CubeSats

Larger Missions

Space Station & Shuttles

Suborbitals

Mission Status

Future

Current

Past

All

Missions by Name

AE-C & D

Atmosphere Explorer-C & D

AEPEX

Atmospheric Effects of Precipitation through Energetic X-rays

AIM

Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere

CANVAS

Climatology of Anthropogenic and Natural VLF wave Activity in Space

Cassini

CIRBE

Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment

CLARREO Pathfinder

Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory Pathfinder

COLLIDE-2

Collisions Into Dust Experiment

CSIM

Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor

CSSWE

Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment

CTIM

Compact Total Irradiance Monitor Flight Demonstration

CUTE

Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment

DEUCE

Dual-channel Extreme Ultraviolet Continuum Experiment

DYNAGLO

DYNamics Atmosphere GLObal-Connection

EMM

Emirates Mars Mission

Europa Clipper

EVE Rocket Program

EUV Variability Experiment

Galileo

GDC

Geospace Dynamics Constellation

Glory

GOES-R+

Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R Series Program

GOLD

Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk Program

GTOSat

Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit Satellite

HySICS

HyperSpectral Imager for Climate Science Project

ICESat

Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite

IMAP

Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe

INFUSE

The Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment

INSPIRE Program

International Satellite Program in Research and Education

IXPE

Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer

Kepler

LADEE

Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer

Libera

MANTIS

Monitoring Activity from Nearby sTars with uv Imaging and Spectroscopy

Mariner 5

Mariner 6, 7, 9

Mars 96

MAVEN

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution

MESSENGER

Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging

MGM

Mechanics of Granular Materials

MinXSS

Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer

MMS

Magnetospheric Multiscale

NEO Surveyor

Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission

New Horizons

OSO-5 & 8

Orbiting Solar Observatory

Pioneer Venus

Polar

PSP

Parker Solar Probe

QuikSCAT

Quick Scatterometer

SDO

Solar Dynamics Observatory

SISTINE

Suborbital Imaging Spectrograph for Transition region Irradiance from Nearby Exoplanet host stars

SME

Solar Mesosphere Explorer

SNIFS

Solar EruptioN Integral Field Spectrograph

SNOE

Student Nitric Oxide Explorer

SORCE

Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment

SPARTAN Halley

Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research Tool for Astronomy Halley

SPRITE

Supernova Remnants and Proxies for ReIonization Testbed Experiment

Strateole Program

SunCET

Sun Coronal Ejection Tracker

TCTE

Total Solar Irradiance Calibration Transfer Experiment

THEMIS

Time History of Events of Macroscale Interactions During Substorms

TIMED

Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics

TSIS -1

Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor 1

TSIS-2

Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor 2

UARS

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite

Van Allen Probes

Voyager 1 & 2

Mission timeline

Object of study

Key	Development Cruise Orbiting/flyby Anticipated End Shuttle launches Voyager 1 flyby Voyager 2 flyby
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