Explore Planetary and
Solar Systems Science at LPL

Welcome to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

Coronavirus Information

Until further notice, the University of Arizona, in accordance with the guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages all employees to work remotely. Our offices in the Kuiper, Sonett, and Drake Buildings are closed to the public, but you can reach the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Monday–Friday 8am-5pm, at 520-621-6963.

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This image, the last one taken by the spacecraft, shows crescent Bennu with its night side melting with the complete black of space as the spacecraft pushed away from Bennu. The photo was taken with NavCam, one of three camera instruments designed and built by Malin Space Systems. NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin

OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft is Headed Home with Asteroid Sample

After nearly five years in space, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is on its way back to Earth with an abundance of rocks and dust from near-Earth asteroid Bennu.

In addition to supporting a variety of NASA planetary missions, NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility on Maunakea on the Big Island of Hawaii is also used to determine the composition of near-Earth objects. Credits: University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy / Michael Connelley

New Data Confirm 2020 SO to be the Upper Centaur Rocket Booster from the 1960’s

Using data collected at NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) and orbit analysis from the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, scientists have confirmed that Near-Earth Object (NEO) 2020 SO is, in fact, a 1960’s-Era Centaur rocket booster.

Created by an eruption five years ago, the Holuhraun lava flow field in Iceland is some of the newest "real estate" in the world where Christopher Hamilton and his team are testing new ways for drones and rovers to work together to explore Mars.

With $3M NASA Grant, UArizona Scientists Will Test Mars Exploration Drones in Iceland

NASA has awarded $3.1 million to Christopher Hamilton in UArizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory to develop a drone that could act as a "field assistant" to a rover and explore previously inaccessible regions on Mars.

Upcoming Events

Friday, May 7, 2021 to Thursday, May 13, 2021

Memorial Day - University Holiday

Statement on Diversity

Science can succeed only if there is diversity—diversity of ideas, of perspectives, and of individuals. We at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL) value diversity in all of its forms. LPL strives to address inherent problems that exist within planetary science, and academia in general. LPL is at the forefront of planetary and space sciences, and as such must stand as an ally to and in solidarity with its community members regardless of race, national origin, immigration status, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, intellectual and physical ability, income, faith and non-faith perspectives, socio-economic class, political ideology, education, primary language, family status, military experience, cognitive style, and communication style, and with all people who intersect these groups. We strongly believe that the science and knowledge we pursue every day is a human pursuit strengthened through the participation of these historically minoritized groups.

For more information on the DLC and its members, visit the Department Life Committee page.

Research Focus Areas

Pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning the breadth and depth of planetary science.

Titan & Outer Solar System

LPL scientists are exploring Titan and the outer solar system.

Planetary Astronomy

The planets of the solar system, along with their satellite systems, are our only accessible example of the end state...

Planetary Atmospheres

The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has a strong background in the study of planetary and satellite atmospheres. Since the pioneering...

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®

Spacecraft Missions and Instrumentation

Exploring the Universe as investigators on spacecraft mission and instrumentation teams.

HiRISE (MRO)

HiRISE, the high resolution imaging science experiment onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, is the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet.

OSIRIS-REx

LPL is home to the OSIRIS-REx mission, which made history for NASA when it tagged the surface of asteroid Bennu for 4.7 seconds, triggering a flush of nitrogen gas and collecting the largest sample of extraterrestrial material since the Apollo moon landings.

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."

Hubble

Studying the cosmos for over a quarter century, the Hubble Space Telescope has made more than a million observations and changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.