Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Civil Space

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We Lead Missions To Explore the Habitability of Other Worlds

APL leads Dragonfly — a game-changing rotorcraft to study the surface and organic chemistry of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

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From The Sun to Pluto and Beyond

Our spacecraft and instruments have helped "touch" the Sun, measure and track Earth’s magnetosphere, search for ancient water on Mars, probe the mysteries of Pluto and measure the boundaries of our solar system before entering interstellar space. And those discoveries are just the beginning.

Explore APL’s Work

Featured Mission

IMAP

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission, which APL is building in partnership with Principal Investigator David McComas of Princeton University, will explore our solar neighborhood, called the heliosphere — decoding the messages in particles from the Sun and beyond our cosmic shield.

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Our People

We are scientists, engineers, planners and dedicated professionals committed to exploring space and expanding humanity’s knowledge of the Sun-Earth system, our moon, the solar system and beyond. We do the impossible every day. Learn more about our people.

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Space to Learn: Training Program Delivers Hands-On Experiences

Maj. Julian Martinez

Embedded in the Space Exploration Sector since August, U.S. Space Force Maj. Julian Martinez has been getting an up-close look at — and even contributing to — Johns Hopkins APL’s cross-domain expertise.

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Science

Learn more about our research in planetary science, Earth science, heliophysics and astrophysics.

Science at APL

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Engineering

Learn more about our spacecraft and instruments as well as our mission design and operations teams who are helping to expand humanity’s understanding of the universe every day.

Engineering at APL

For the Media

Learn more about APL’s missions and discoveries — and the people who make it all happen. Use our Media Center to find high-resolution images and HD videos, receive detailed mission information, or contact a public affairs representative.

All Media Resources

A Rotorcraft Designed for the Dunes of Titan