POWERING SPACE EXPLORATION

APL’s Spacecraft Power Engineering team includes experts in all disciplines necessary to power spacecraft.  This includes deep knowledge of: solar cell array and radioisotope thermoelectric generator power sources, secondary battery and capacitive energy storage devices, power bus regulation and battery charge control electronics, power switching and distribution electronics, and secondary power conversion electronics.  Our products enable space exploration in a wide range of challenging environments including heavy radiation, wide temperature extremes, and strong electromagnetic interference. We are involved in all phases of mission development, from concept design to trending operation of flight hardware.  Along the way we formulate requirements, develop power architectures, perform detailed design and analysis, support manufacturing of flight hardware, perform functional and environmental tests, participate in vehicle integration and launch, and support mission operations. 

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.

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.