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Photo of Johns Hopkins APL’s Camera Reveals Surprise for NASA’s Lucy Mission in First Asteroid Encounter
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Johns Hopkins APL’s Camera Reveals Surprise for NASA’s Lucy Mission in First Asteroid Encounter

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Moon

A Launchpad to the Past and Future

Our Moon is the only world beyond Earth where humans have set foot. The Moon presents a tantalizing array of exploration, science and technology demonstration opportunities.

Formed from the cataclysmic collision of a Mars-sized planet with the early Earth, our Moon bears many scars from the foundation of the solar system, making it a powerful witness to understanding the solar system’s past and estimating the age of other worlds. APL houses the world’s largest community of lunar experts in a single location, and with heightened interest in returning to the Moon, our researchers are at the forefront in providing cutting-edge science and concerted technological efforts to help us return, explore and understand our closest celestial neighbor.

Missions

APL has designed, built and operated more than 70 innovative spacecraft over its six decades of spaceflight experience. Click below to learn about some of the missions that made revolutionary discoveries, and spacecraft that will push the boundaries of exploration and investigate outstanding scientific mysteries.

Instruments

Scientists and engineers at APL have designed, built and operated more than 300 novel space instruments and methods to conduct cutting-edge research and make groundbreaking discoveries. Click below to learn about some of these instruments and their role in shaping our understanding of space and the solar system.

Learn more about Mini-RF
Mini-RF instrument observing the Moon's surface.

Mini-RF

Mission

LRO

Destinations

Moon
Mini-RF data is advancing our understanding of the lunar poles — prime targets for humankind’s return to the Moon.

Initiatives

While APL may be known for engaging is space-firsts and building first-of-its-kind spacecraft that deflect asteroids or touch the sun, it also has a deep knowledge base of science and engineering experts who provide critical contributions to critical challenges. Through initiatives like Planetary Defense, Heliophysics and Space Weather, and Cislunar Operations, Space@APL is able to deliver game-changning impacts for civil and national security.

Stories

Go inside APL’s space missions and research, and check out the latest news, features and discoveries from the teams that are probing mysteries from the Sun to the edge of the solar system and beyond.

A photo of planetary geologist Brett Denevi
Dec 5, 2023

Johns Hopkins APL Space Scientist Denevi Earns NASA Solar System Exploration Award

APL planetary geologist Brett Deveni has earned the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute's Angioletta Coradini Award for her research accomplishments.
A photo from space shows the Moon rising over the curvature of the blue Earth. Clouds in the sky show at the foreground of the picture
Dec 5, 2023

Five Ways Johns Hopkins APL Is Advancing Lunar Science, Security and Technology

The scientific, economic and national security value of the Moon and its surrounding space has kicked off an era of intense international cooperation and competition. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, leveraging its broad and distinguished base of experts, is making advancements that will keep the nation at the forefront in the development and exploration of the region.
An illustration shows astronauts on the lunar surface, with two examining a rock, a rover with its lights on, a lander in the background, and two other astronauts examining the ground with flashlights
Oct 11, 2023

Johns Hopkins APL Teaming With DARPA to Accelerate Interoperability Standards for Commercial Lunar Infrastructure

Johns Hopkins APL is applying its expertise in lunar science and technology to a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative to identify and propose interoperating standards for commercial infrastructure on the Moon.