Congratulations, OSIRIS-REx!
OSIRIS-REx TAGS Asteroid Bennu
Touchdown! The LPL-led OSIRIS-REx mission has successfully completed its most treacherous and rewarding task: sample collection.
OSIRIS-REx Mission Updates OSIRIS-REx News
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.
OSIRIS-REx Successfully Touches Asteroid Bennu in Sample Grab
Ten years after NASA selected UArizona to lead the OSIRIS-REx mission, the spacecraft successfully completed its most treacherous and rewarding task: sample collection.
UArizona Mission Members Celebrate OSIRIS-REx Success
Members of the University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission, along with UArizona leadership, gathered to watch NASA's live broadcast of the mission's much-anticipated Touch-and-Go, or TAG, sampling event.
What Touching an Asteroid Can Teach Us
NASA will make history on Oct. 20 by attempting its first-ever sample collection maneuver at an asteroid. UArizona professor Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for the OSIRIS-REx mission, discusses the significance of the mission for science and society.
Statement on Diversity
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 people of color, immigrants of all statuses, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and all those who intersect with 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.
Science can succeed only if there is diversity—diversity of ideas, of perspectives, and of individuals.
Research Focus Areas
Pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning the breadth and depth of planetary science.
Asteroid Surveys
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®
Cosmochemistry
Cosmochemistry
Planetary Materials are those pieces of condensed matter that were leftover from the time that our solar system formed over...
Planetary Atmospheres
Planetary Atmospheres
The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has a strong background in the study of planetary and satellite atmospheres. Since the pioneering...
Earth
Earth
Collecting information about Earth from space provides new information about how Earth systems work, how they are changing, and how humans might anticipate and respond to changes.
Spacecraft Missions and Instrumentation
Exploring the Universe as investigators on spacecraft mission and instrumentation teams.
HiRISE (MRO)
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
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.
MRO
MRO
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has studied the Red Planet's atmosphere and terrain from orbit since 2006 and also serves as a key data relay station for other Mars missions, including the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity.
MMX
MMX
The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is in development by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. MMX will visit the two Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, land on the surface of Phobos, and collect a surface sample.
Discover Planetary Sciences
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 engage with diverse communities.
Space Imagery Center
The Space Imagery Center at the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory is a research collection of NASA planetary photography, cartographic...
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter is an exceptional science learning facility located at Steward Observatory's "sky island" observing site. The SkyCenter builds upon the uniqueness of the 9,157 foot summit of Mt. Lemmon and the extensive knowledge base at the University of Arizona to deliver educational programs.
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).