The University of Arizona is a global leader in space exploration, with Steward Observatory, the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), and the Arizona Space Institute driving innovation in both ground-based and space-based astronomy. Steward Observatory built the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) for the James Webb Space Telescope and contributed the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), enabling groundbreaking discoveries about the early universe. The observatory’sRichard F. Caris Mirror Lab constructs the world's largest telescope mirrors for the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes, including the Large Binocular Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope. Current and upcoming space missions include Pandora (probing exoplanet atmospheres with operations based at the Arizona Space Institute), Aspera(studying galaxy evolution through ultraviolet observations), the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (with kinematic lensing and software infrastructure teams led by the Arizona Cosmology Lab), CatSat (a student-built CubeSat demonstrating inflatable antenna technology), and stratospheric balloon missions like GUSTO, which broke NASA's record as the longest-flying heavy-lift balloon mission.
The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory has pioneered planetary exploration since its founding, making U of A the first university to manage a planetary lander mission (Phoenix) and lead a New Frontiers mission (OSIRIS-REx), which returned the largest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth. LPL continues its legacy with OSIRIS-APEX, now en route to study asteroid Apophis ahead of its close 2029 Earth encounter, and operates the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), capturing unprecedented views of Mars from orbit. Current research spans understanding the solar wind through the Parker Solar Probe mission, searching for life in the galaxy through Habitable Worlds Observatory research, detecting hazardous asteroids via the Catalina Sky Survey (which has discovered approximately half of all known near-Earth asteroids), and studying volcanoes throughout the solar system.
Steward Observatory and LPL partner with the Arizona Space Institute, a driving force in advancing the University of Arizona's role as the world's leading university for space science, human and robotic exploration, astrobiology/exoplanets research, space situational awareness research, and planetary defense. Together, these programs maintain the University of Arizona's position as the #2 public university globally in space science research and #1 among all universities in space science R&D expenditures for 35 consecutive years.
