Innovative Instrumentation

APL’s long heritage of space technology innovation reaches back six decades, and includes building more than 300 specialized instruments. APL instruments have provided the first images of Saturn’s magnetic field; contributed to the discovery of ancient water across Mars, delivered the first close-up views of Pluto and its moons; and helped determine when humankind – through Voyager 1 – left the solar system for the first time.

Optical Instruments

APL optical instruments range from telescopic cameras that deliver high-resolution images of worlds across the solar system, to imaging spectrometers that can “read” hundreds of colors in reflected sunlight to detect the mineral makeup of a planet’s surface.

Engineers working on the LORRI Instrument

LORRI Pluto, Kuiper Belt Objects, and Comets

The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) is a telescopic camera built to enable distant imaging of the farthest regions of the solar system.
Learn more about LORRI
L'LORI equipped spacecraft floating by an asteroid

L’LORRI Asteroids

The Lucy-Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (L’LORRI) is a telescopic camera built to image Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids.
Learn more about L’LORRI
Visualization of earth's atmosphere through the GUVI

GUVI Earth

The Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) observes Earth’s thermosphere, ionosphere, and mesosphere.
Learn more about GUVI
Europa Clipper Spacecraft

MISE Outer Moons

The Mapping Imaging Spectrometer for Europa (MISE) will map elements on the surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
Learn more about MISE
Europa Clipper Spacecraft

EIS Outer Moons

The Europa Imaging System (EIS) will map and image Jupiter’s icy moon Europa in unprecedented resolution.
Learn more about EIS
DRACO technicians working in a lab

DRACO Asteroids

The Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation (DRACO) provided asteroid imaging and spacecraft navigation on the first planetary defense mission.
Learn more about DRACO
Surface of Mars

CRISM Terrestrial Planets

The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) maps minerals on the Martian surface to study how the crust formed and was altered by water.
Learn more about CRISM

Particle Instruments

APL develops devices – like highly sensitive mass spectrometers – that can determine a charged particle’s elemental composition by measuring how long it takes the particle to fly through the instrument.

ULEIS Spacecraft near the sun

ULEIS Sun and Solar Wind

The Ultra Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer (ULEIS) determines the range and abundances of isotopes during massive solar events.
Learn more about ULEIS
Rendering of the IMAP spacecraft

IMAP-Ultra Interstellar Medium

Advancing designs built to study energetic particles around Earth and Saturn, IMAP-Ultra will image energetic particles from the edge of the solar system, providing detailed visuals of what happens when the Sun’s solar wind meets interstellar space. IMAP-Ultra is one of 10 instruments that will be included on the spacecraft.
Learn more about IMAP-Ultra
Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph

SIS Sun and Solar Wind

The Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS) determines elements by measuring how long it takes a particle to move through the instrument.
Learn more about SIS
Rendering of Pluto

PEPSSI Pluto, Kuiper Belt Objects, and Comets

The Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) is the most compact, lowest-power directional energetic-particle spectrometer flown in space.
Learn more about PEPSSI
Europa Clipper Spacecraft

PIMS Giant Planets

The Plasma Instrument for Magnetic Sounding (PIMS) will use space physics to investigate Europa’s ice shell and ocean.
Learn more about PIMS
Jovian Energetic Neutrals and Ions (JENI) instrument and the Jovian Energetic Electrons (JoEE) detectors

JoEE/JENI Outer Moons

The Jovian Energetic Neutrals and Ions (JENI) and the Jovian Energetic Electrons (JoEE) detectors will “see” the invisible, super-heated plasma and gas around Jupiter and its icy moons.
Learn more about JoEE/JENI
Voyager spacecraft

LECP Sun and Solar Wind

The Low-Energy Charged Particle (LECP) detectors have measured ions and electrons in the outer solar system and beyond.
Learn more about LECP
Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument

JEDI Giant Planets

The Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) studies Jupiter’s magnetosphere and aurora.
Learn more about JEDI
Energetic Particle Instrument-Low Energy in a lab

EPI-Lo Sun and Solar Wind

The Energetic Particle Instrument-Low energy (EPI-Lo) is investigating the Sun’s energetic particles from an unprecedented distance.
Learn more about EPI-Lo
Energetic Ion Spectrometer Floating in Space

EPD-EIS Earth

The Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS) measures energetic particles to study magnetic reconnection and acceleration in Earth’s magnetosphere.
Learn more about EPD-EIS
Electron, Proton and Alpha Monitor

EPAM Sun and Solar Wind

The Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) is designed to detect energetic particles from the Sun, the galaxy, and interstellar space.
Learn more about EPAM

Gamma-Ray and Neutron Instruments

Gamma-ray spectroscopy can infer composition tens of inches beneath a planetary body, either remotely from orbit or while sitting directly on the surface, and quantify the elements present throughout that depth.

MEGANE equipped satellite in space

MEGANE Terrestrial Planets

The Mars-moon Exploration with GAmma rays and NEutrons (MEGANE) spectroscopy instrument will study the Martian moon Phobos.
Learn more about MEGANE
The Psyche spacecraft approaches an asteroid

Psyche GRNS Asteroids

The Psyche Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (Psyche GRNS) instrument will determine the composition of the asteroid Psyche.
Learn more about Psyche GRNS
Dragonfly

DraGNS Outer Moons

The Dragonfly Gamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer (DraGNS) will measure the surface composition of Titan.
Learn more about DraGNS

Other Instruments

APL develops radar and other sensors to map surfaces and assess conditions on and above our Moon and other worlds.

Dragonfly

DraGMet Outer Moons

The Dragonfly Geophysics and Meteorology Package (DraGMet) is a suite of geophysical and meteorological sensors to assess conditions on Saturn’s moon Titan.
Learn more about DraGMet
Spacecraft with Mini-RF instruments outside the moon

Mini-RF Moon

Mini-RF data is advancing our understanding of the lunar poles — prime targets for humankind’s return to the Moon.
Learn more about Mini-RF
a magnetic field at the Moon’s Reiner Gamma swirl

Vector Magnetometers Moon

A small rover that will explore as much as 2 kilometers (just over a mile) of one of the Moon’s most famous magnetic “swirls.”
Learn more about Vector Magnetometers