Explore Planetary and
Solar Systems Science at LPL
Welcome to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
From Points of Light to Worlds: UA Explores the Solar System
A determined bunch of scientists set out to map the moon in preparation of the Apollo landings, but that was only the beginning. A new field of science blossomed, and UA scientists have been involved in nearly every U.S. space mission since.
$3M in NASA Funding to Help Students Build CubeSats
NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project Institutional Research Opportunity program will give students in Arizona and Puerto Rico the opportunity to collaborate with scientists and engineers on the next generation of space exploration technology.
Rare Blue Asteroid Reveals Itself During Fly-By
By Teddy Kareta, UA Lunar and Planetary Laboratory - October 24, 2018 Blue asteroids are rare, and blue comets are...
Upcoming Events
Research Focus Areas
Pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning the breadth and depth of planetary science.
Planetary Astronomy
The planets of the solar system, along with their satellite systems, are our only accessible example of the end state...
Planetary Astronomy
Planetary Atmospheres
Planetary Atmospheres
Orbital Dynamics
Kepler's laws of planetary motion turn out to be far from the last word on planetary orbits. Orbits change over...
Orbital Dynamics
Asteroid Surveys
LPL is home to two programs dedicated to scanning the sky for near-earth objects, including potentially hazardous asteroids: Catalina Sky Survey and SPACEWATCH®
Asteroid Surveys
Spacecraft Missions and Instrumentation
Exploring the Universe as investigators on spacecraft mission and instrumentation teams.
OSIRIS-REx
LPL is home to the OSIRIS-REx mission. OSIRIS-Rex arrived at asteroid Bennu in 2018; it has begun to survey and map Bennu, navigating in close proximity to the asteroid, and will ultimately touch the surface for five seconds to gather a sample of the asteroid.
OSIRIS-REx
HiRISE (MRO)
The HiRISE operations center, which includes not only observation planning, but the execution of commands sent to the spacecraft along with actual image processing, is located within LPL at the University of Arizona.
HiRISE (MRO)
MSL
With its rover named Curiosity, Mars Science Laboratory mission is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program , a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. In other words, its mission is to determine the planet's "habitability."
MSL
Mars Odyssey
Mars Odyssey is a robotic spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. Its mission is to use spectrometers and a thermal imager to detect evidence of past or present water and ice, as well as study the planet's geology and radiation environment.
Mars Odyssey
Discover Planetary Sciences
Explore asteroids, exoplanets, and beyond. Earn a Ph.D. with a major in Planetary Sciences.
Graduate Program
The Department of Planetary Sciences offers multidisciplinary programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in planetary sciences.
Undergraduate Program
The Department of Planetary Sciences offers an undergraduate minor in Planetary Sciences.
Astrobiology Minor
Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field that combines astronomy, geology, biology and chemistry.
Public Education and Outreach
Faculty, staff, and students at LPL take every opportunity to share their research with the community.
Space Drafts
Space Drafts is Tucson’s flavor of Astronomy on Tap. Talks are held one Wednesday of every month at one of Tucson’s finest microbreweries, The Borderlands Brewing Company . Space Drafts is free and open to all ages (of humans and dogs alike).
HiRISE
We have a simple philosophy: HiRISE is “the people’s camera” because we believe that knowledge about Mars belongs to everyone.
Space Imagery Center
The Space Imagery Center at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is a research collection of NASA planetary photography, cartographic...