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Space law – Influencing policy for low Earth orbit and beyond

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:00:07 +0000

Space law – Influencing policy for low Earth orbit and beyond Jeff Zehnder Tue, 11/11/2025 - 09:00

Jeff Zehnder

��ɫ��Ƶ researchers have been shaping space exploration for decades and now are expanding into space law.

As more nations launch satellites, space probes, and military hardware into orbit, policy has become an increasingly critical field in the U.S. and beyond.

Marcus Holzinger is a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences and the inaugural holder of the Hatfield Endowed Professor in Space Policy & Law, a position created to shape the future of legal frameworks for space and serve as a bridge between academic research and real-world governance.

“The university brings a nonpartisan, technical perspective to the table, which is incredibly important,” Holzinger said. “When you’re talking about aircraft policy, where they fly, how high and how low, you wouldn’t want to make those decisions without anyone who knew how an airplane worked. We want to provide that necessary information to form cogent policy, but for space.”

��ɫ��Ƶ also recently created the Colorado Space Policy Center to bring together academic majors across the university and further boost research and engagement in industry, civil, and military space. It is being led by Dan Baker, who served as director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics for nearly 30 years.

“We have one of the best concentrations of space scholars in the nation,” Holzinger said. “There’s also a very large space industry here in Colorado. There are a lot of people interacting across academia, industry, and government. This is the right place, at the right time, with the right people.”

��ɫ��Ƶ already teaches non-engineering courses on space policy and has a Space Law Society for students. In addition, the aerospace department has revised its PhD practicum requirements to offer a policy option.

“Traditionally the practicum has been mentoring or teaching. We changed that so students could fulfill it by applying their technical skills to benefit society. We’ve now had students do that by interning at the state legislature, in federally funded research and development centers,
and at think tanks,” Holzinger said.

He is hoping to further integrate students into the space policy sphere. The Hatfield Professorship only began in June 2025, but Holzinger said he has already been contacted by many students interested in learning more about space policy.

“I’m really excited overall about the work being done here,” Holzinger said. “We’re drawing upon ��ɫ��Ƶ’s technical expertise and strengths to be a real center of mass and resource for policymakers, through the students we graduate and the expertise we can provide.”

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Student-built rocket flies into the stratosphere

Jeff Zehnder — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:47:41 +0000

Student-built rocket flies into the stratosphere Jeff Zehnder Mon, 11/10/2025 - 08:47

Jeff Zehnder

Go for launch!

The 12-foot-tall rocket roared off the pad, streaming higher and higher until it was barely more than a pinprick in the morning sky.

At 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, the ��ɫ��Ƶ Sounding Rocket Lab (SRL) successfully launched a rocket to 90,000 ft. in altitude.

Designed and built by students in the club, the Mamba III rocket was a multiyear effort for SRL.

“Over 100 students worked on this project,” said Robert Umali, the team solids/composites lead and an aerospace sophomore. “Our test fire in March performed flawlessly. This rocket is built like a tank.”

Built From Scratch

Although off-the-shelf rocket plans are available online, the team elected to design theirs from the ground up, said Tyler Boim, team co-captain and an aerospace senior.

“Anything that we can make in-house we do. We fully made our avionics, composites, structures, and propellant. You understand each part and why it’s there. We’re not building Legos. You become a better engineer,” Boim said.

Putting the extra work into an independent design has also had career benefits for members like Nick Kieft, fellow team co-captain and an aerospace senior.

“It’s experience for industry. In internship interviews, most of what I talk about with companies is the team. I manufactured this, designed that, tested this,” Kieft said.

The successful launch in California’s Mojave Desert was a moment of exhilaration for all the team members, but only one portion of the day’s excitement, as the rocket body also contained sensors and cameras to track the flight and its landing.

Hitting Mach 3.36

“Mamba had a maximum Mach number of 3.36, equivalent to a velocity of 2,393 mph. Consistent communication of the rocket's flight computers throughout ascent and descent enabled us to determine a landing position and recover the vehicle. The final GPS coordinates were within 50 feet of the landing location,” Kieft said.

Getting to the finish line was not always easy. The team experienced significant setbacks in launches on the previous Mamba I, which suffered a nose cone failure, as well as Mamba II, which exploded midflight.

“Mamba III used the same principles of the original design, but was reworked to account for lessons learned. We spent an entire year recharacterizing the propellant. We overbuilt this rocket to guarantee there would be no failures,” Boim said.

Next Steps

With the successful launch, the team is moving on to a much bigger goal called Spaceshot. They are beginning work on a new rocket design that can reach at least 350,000 ft. in altitude and become only the second student rocketry organization in the world to cross the atmospheric boundary into space – internationally designated at 328,000 ft.

“There will be big infrastructure improvements. We’ll be developing it over the next year or two,” Boim said.

Although that launch will be after senior team members like Boim and Kieft graduate in May 2026, each team stands on the shoulders of earlier graduates, incorporating their design and education in the next iteration.

“I won’t necessarily be here for that launch, but a lot of the work you do leading up to it is just as valuable and rewarding,” Kieft said. “There’s smaller milestones along the way. SRL takes all the important first principles we learn in class to the next level.”

Additional Photos

Onboard still of the rocket near apogee.

Avionics team tracking the rocket during ascent.

The rocket at liftoff.

Recovery of the rocket after landing.

SRL Team Members

Performing final avionics bay integration.

The 12-foot-tall rocket roared off the pad, streaming higher and higher until it was barely more than a pinprick in the morning sky. At 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, the...

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Shaping the Future of Aerospace: Smead PhD Scholars

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 22:56:44 +0000

Shaping the Future of Aerospace: Smead PhD Scholars Jeff Zehnder Fri, 10/31/2025 - 16:56

The ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences is pleased to welcome the 2025 PhD Scholars into The Smead Program.

They join the cohort of current Smead Scholars to explore, achieve and lead in aerospace engineering sciences.

Smead Scholars Madison Lin, from left, and Hasani Spann.

Madison Lin, a ��ɫ��Ƶ Boettcher Scholar, brings a dual background in Aerospace and Electrical Engineering to her research in trajectory design and optimization.

Hasani Spann, a QuestBridge Scholar from Stanford, merges deep experience in orbital mechanics and fluid dynamics with a passion for space exploration and public engagement.

As Smead Scholars, Madison and Hasani will receive full tuition, generous stipends and unparalleled access to industry leaders, professional development and a vibrant community of peers and mentors through ��ɫ��Ƶ and the state of Colorado’s excellence in aerospace.

#1 Public University in NASA Funding
175,000 sq ft Dedicated Aerospace Building (Opened in 2019)
$41.6 M in New Research for FY24
Second Largest Aerospace Economy in the United States

Together, Madison and Hasani represent the bold vision and interdisciplinary excellence that define the Smead legacy – pushing boundaries in research and inspiring progress in the skies and beyond.

The Smead Program at the ��ɫ��Ƶ develops exceptional scholars and faculty in aerospace to be well-rounded leaders who push the limits of engineering and science innovation to build a better future. Our strong community builds and supports personal and professional growth, leadership, and impact. Learn More

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Skydiving into a PhD

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 18:07:06 +0000

Skydiving into a PhD Jeff Zehnder Fri, 10/17/2025 - 12:07

Adam Harris is advancing the frontiers of aerodynamics as a non-traditional student, finishing up a doctoral program in which he never expected to enroll.

“I’m writing computational fluid dynamics and finite element codes to study flow control by phononic materials and structures. A phonon is the quantum of vibrational energy, a quasi-particle that could give birth to a whole new species of technology,” Harris said.

A PhD student in the materials science and engineering program, Harris began his college journey in 2012 as a psychology major, but his time at ��ɫ��Ƶ did not last long.

“I didn’t show up to classes and just really didn't care. I was placed on academic probation my first semester and academic suspension my second,” Harris said.

A native of Miami, he elected to stay in Boulder, working in construction and landscaping. In 2014, Harris enrolled at Front Range Community College for an associate’s degree in business.

Skydiving Hobby

Harris also started skydiving as a hobby, hanging out at Vance Brand Airport in Longmont, making up to 10 jumps a day. Eventually, he was hired there for a paid ground crew position.

“I was surrounded by people who were monitoring weather, maintaining aircraft, and discussing flight mechanics. I started teaching myself basic aerodynamics, watching TED talks and physics documentaries online. It all became more and more interesting to me,” he said.

After finishing at Front Range, Harris decided to continue onto a four-year business degree at ��ɫ��Ƶ. Because of his past suspension, enrolling required an appointment with an admissions advisor. The meeting would change the direction of his life.

Changing Gears

“I told her about all the science, engineering, and physics I was being exposed to. She looked at me suspiciously and said, ‘Are you sure you want to study business?’ Nope, put me down for physics,” Harris said.

He steamrolled through his courses, earning As and Bs in subjects where he had previously shown little interest. In the five years since his first stint at ��ɫ��Ƶ, Harris had grown significantly.

“Turns out I really love math. I think my success was a product of motivation and how much I enjoyed where I was, the people around me, what I was learning, and relevance to my passions. I have a GPS in my skydiving helmet and I would always try to connect course concepts to data acquired from wingsuit flights,” he said.

As he was completing his bachelor’s, a connection with Mahmoud Hussein, a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, opened the door to graduate school.

Graduate School

“I was still enjoying classes but I paid for undergrad myself, so I didn’t want to continue accumulating debt. I started talking to Mahmoud, and when I learned engineering PhD programs cover tuition and living expenses, there was no question. What an opportunity,” Harris said.

Hussein became his graduate advisor as Harris earned two master’s degrees – in aerospace and materials science. He expects to finish his PhD in materials science next spring.

His dissertation is centered on phononic subsurfaces (PSubs), which could lead to radical increases in fuel economy for jet aircraft and hypersonic vehicles. It has been a focus of Hussein’s lab for 15 years, beginning at the theoretical level and now approaching the applied stage, thanks in part to a major Office of Naval Research grant awarded last year.

“This started with purely computational work and now we’re 3D printing PSubs. We can validate the PSub’s tuned frequency response with a laser vibrometer, and we have candidate prototypes that yield the response we expect. We’re going to begin the first wind tunnel tests in collaboration with the Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory at ��ɫ��Ƶ very soon,” Harris said.

What's Next?

As he writes his dissertation, Harris’s research background offers a wealth of career opportunities, but he is hoping for a particular dream job that would combine fluid dynamics and computational modeling with his love of skydiving.

It may sound like a fantasy. It is not.

“There’s a company in California that builds parachutes used for space craft atmospheric re-entry,” Harris said. “The job description is everything I’m doing at ��ɫ��Ƶ, plus a requirement of parachute rigging experience, which I have.”

Wherever Harris lands, he is a long way from his beginnings in Boulder as an 18-year-old psych major.

“I think this is where I was supposed to be all along,” Harris said. “I just wasn’t aware of it back then. The synchronicity is really cool.”

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Boyd discusses military lasers with The Sun UK

Jeff Zehnder — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 19:59:09 +0000

Boyd discusses military lasers with The Sun UK Jeff Zehnder Thu, 10/09/2025 - 13:59

Iain Boyd gave a lengthy interview to The Sun UK newspaper about the use of lasers as a military weapon

Boyd, a professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is a national security expert and also the director of the ��ɫ��Ƶ Center for National Security Initiatives.

"So if you use traditional kinetic weapons, like bullets, you've got a finite number that you can fire. And once you're out of ammunition, you're done," Boyd said. "But with lasers, the idea is as long as you have them plugged into an electrical source, you know, you can keep on firing."

The interview and article discusses positives and negatives of laser-based weapons technology, which have been used in the Ukraine War and the war in Gaza.

Check out the full piece in The Sun UK...

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Aerospace undergraduate program ranked #6 among public peers

Jeff Zehnder — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:46:25 +0000

Aerospace undergraduate program ranked #6 among public peers Jeff Zehnder Tue, 09/23/2025 - 08:46

��ɫ��Ƶ’s College of Engineering and Applied Science is the No. 15 best undergraduate engineering program in the U.S. when compared to its public peers, U.S. News and World Report announced today.

Aerospace, environmental and civil lead the way with top 10 specialty rankings.

Our engineering program was ranked No. 28 overall when compared to 210 other public and private universities that also offer PhD programs. CU Engineering was tied with Ohio State University, the University of Minnesota and the University of Southern California.

“CU Engineering’s rise to #15 among public institutions is a testament to the extraordinary dedication of our faculty, staff, students and alumni,” Dean Keith Molenaar said. “It reflects our commitment to innovation and the transformative impact of engineering education and research. While we focus on our mission and not our rankings, it is good to be recognized in such high regard by our peers.”

In the engineering and computing specialty rankings, five ��ɫ��Ƶ engineering degrees were also ranked in the top 15 amongst publics:

The rankings were released on the U.S. News and World Report website on Sept. 23. Undergraduate rankings are based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty at peer institutions who participated in a peer assessment survey. Read more about the methodology.

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Williams Village East's new namesake has long legacy at ��ɫ��Ƶ

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 19:53:16 +0000

Williams Village East's new namesake has long legacy at ��ɫ��Ƶ Jeff Zehnder Fri, 09/19/2025 - 13:53

The University of Colorado Board of Regents voted unanimously to rename the Williams Village East residence hall the Onizuka Hall to honor ��ɫ��Ƶ graduate and astronaut Ellison Shoji Onizuka, who perished in the 1986 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger—the latest in a long list honors.

Onizuka attended ��ɫ��Ƶ as an undergraduate (bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, June 1969) and graduate student (master's degree in aerospace engineering, December 1969) and received his commission as a U.S. Air Force second lieutenant through ��ɫ��Ƶ's U.S. Air Force ROTC program. He entered active duty in 1970.

"Ellison Onizuka exemplified many of the qualities that Buffs hold dear: tenacity, compassion, valor," said Chancellor Justin Schwartz. "It's fitting that we remember and honor his achievements with the renaming of ��ɫ��Ƶ’s largest residence hall."

He served as an aerospace flight test engineer at McClellan Air Force Base and at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s western Mojave Desert, and was selected as an astronaut candidate in January 1978 from among 8,000 applicants.

Onizuka's first NASA flight was on the space shuttle Discovery, and he became the first Asian American, the first person of Japanese ancestry, and the first Hawaiian to explore space. On board the Discovery, he was a mission specialist responsible for primary payload activities.

From Jan. 24 to Jan. 27, 1985, Discovery completed 48 orbits of Earth, for a total of 74 hours in space. Onizuka carried CU memorabilia with him on this mission: a CU flag and football.

After the completion of the Discovery mission, Onizuka was selected to be a member of the Challenger mission. On Jan. 28, 1986, the Challenger exploded shortly after launch, killing Onizuka and six other astronauts on board.

Among the wreckage recovered from the sea was the CU football Onizuka had brought on the mission and which his family donated to ��ɫ��Ƶ shortly after the opening of the CU Heritage Center in Old Main in 1986.

The university has also honored Onizuka in other ways:

Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial: A memorial plaque honoring Onizuka and his fellow astronauts from the Challenger disaster is located in front of the College of Engineering and Applied Science.
An annual ceremony for Onizuka and other fallen astronauts: Organized by the Air Force ROTC and Arnold Air Society, the ceremony honors the memory of Onizuka and Kalpana Chawla (Columbia disaster) and the other astronauts who perished in space shuttle tragedies. The ceremony culminates at the Ellison S. Onizuka Memorial at ��ɫ��Ƶ’s Engineering Center and the Challenger/Columbia Memorial located near Fiske Planetarium, where a rose is placed for each fallen astronaut.
The campus's Arnold Air Society Squadron is named after him.
A conference room on the third floor of the Ann & H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences building is named after Onizuka.

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Two PhD students earn major NASA fellowships

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 19:25:02 +0000

Two PhD students earn major NASA fellowships Jeff Zehnder Wed, 09/17/2025 - 13:25

Two aerospace graduate students are being recognized with 2025 NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO) fellowships.

PhD students Tommy Clark and Joe Hesse-Withbroe are recipients of the program, which sponsors graduate students who show significant potential to contribute to NASA’s goal of creating innovative new space technologies for our nation’s science, exploration and economic future.

PhD honorees receive an annual stipend for up to four years to conduct research and are also matched with a NASA expert, who serves as a research collaborator. Fellows also have the opportunity to conduct visiting technologist experiences in-person at NASA Centers.

Smead Aerospace students have had strong representation in the NSTGRO program, with 16 winners over the past five years.

Tommy Clark

2nd Year PhD Student

Advisor: Dan Scheeres
Lab: Celestial and Spaceflight Mechanics Laboratory (CSML)

I am using artificial intelligence to generate databases of trajectories in the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CR3BP). Specifically, I am using neural networks to store continuous families of periodic orbits which can generate entire trajectories from a single parameter. In the future, we hope to transition this to Quasi-Periodic Orbits (QPOs) to allow for easier access to these orbits in mission design and for onboard autonomy.

Clark is a 2025 awardee of both the NSTGRO and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Federal rules allow honorees to receive only one. He has chosen the NSTGRO.

Joe Hesse-Withbroe

3rd Year PhD Student

Advisor: Katya Arquilla
Lab: Bioastronautics Laboratory

My research focuses on alternative, mass-efficient radiation shielding strategies for astronauts participating in long-duration exploration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit. Astronauts in space are exposed to high energy solar and galactic radiation that is impossible to block using traditional passive shielding methods. Unmitigated, this radiation poses a significant threat to astronauts, causing cataracts, heart and kidney disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. My work explores the feasibility of an alternative shielding concept wherein large superconducting electromagnets are used to deflect this radiation. These magnetic shields can block a greater amount of solar and galactic radiation with a significantly lower total shield mass than an equivalent passive shield. I aim to develop modeling techniques to enable the rapid estimation of the mass and performance of magnetic shields, which enables characterization of the design trade space of magnetic shields and the identification of optimal shielding solutions for lunar and martian exploration missions.

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Three students earn Amelia Earhart Scholarships

Jeff Zehnder — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 19:51:54 +0000

Three students earn Amelia Earhart Scholarships Jeff Zehnder Fri, 08/22/2025 - 13:51

Three aerospace graduate students are recipients of the 2025 Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship!

The program, open to students worldwide, is recognizing 30 women pursuing doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. The fellowship seeks to expand the number of women in the aerospace industry to reach gender equity.

The 2025 honorees from Smead Aerospace are PhD students Rachel Cueva, Leah Kiner, and Taylor Lonner.

Zonta International is a global organization of professionals empowering women through service and advocacy. The Fellowship was established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zonta member, Amelia Earhart.

Find out more about our 2025 honorees:

Rachel Cueva

Advisor: Jay McMahon
Lab: Orbital Research Cluster for Celestial Applications (ORCCA)

My research focuses on the long-term dynamical evolution of binary asteroid systems, which make up roughly 15% of both the near-Earth asteroid (NEA) and main-belt populations. I model how these systems’ orbital and rotational dynamics evolve and how they respond to external perturbations, such as solar radiation pressure and scattering by outer planet resonances.

This fellowship means a lot to me because I have been quite fortunate to have had a handful of incredible female role models throughout my academic career. Because of this, I am deeply committed to mentorship and using my platform to support and guide the next generation of women and underrepresented minorities in the field like how my mentors did for me. I am honored to be recognized by the inspiring group of women who make up the Zonta organization, and I look forward to being a part of and contributing to this amazing network of women around the globe. This fellowship will also help support my final year of the PhD, which I am immensely grateful for.

Leah Kiner

Advisor: Hanspeter Schaub
Lab: Autonomous Vehicle Systems Laboratory

My research focuses on multi-body spacecraft dynamics, with an emphasis on developing general, modular software formulations capable of simulating a wide range of complex spacecraft configurations. My work aims to support spacecraft mission design and analysis by making the process more accessible and efficient.

I'm deeply honored to be selected as an Amelia Earhart Fellow and join an inspiring network of women in the aerospace industry. Receiving this fellowship will allow me to invest in my health and well-being outside of my academic journey pursuing a PhD. This award will support my passion for outdoor hobbies such as rock climbing and trail running, which help me stay balanced in my research.

Taylor Lonner

Advisor: Torin Clark
Lab: Bioastronautics Lab

My research focuses on identifying countermeasures for vestibular dysfunctions experienced throughout spaceflight using ground-based analogs. My work has uncovered promising routes by which we could reduce terrestrial readaptation motion sickness, and has informed updated modeling efforts to track orientation misperceptions of astronauts in real time.

Amelia Earhart was a pioneer in aviation and, today, serves as an inspiration for women in the aerospace engineering field. It is my hope that the work I am accomplishing throughout my PhD – assisted by this fellowship – will not only advance our understanding of how humans are impacted by spaceflight but will also lay the groundwork for the next generation of women scholars in aerospace. I am honored to join a cohort of remarkable women who are equally passionate about supporting women – internationally – in this diverse and challenging field.

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How to save a satellite: Student team races the clock to study a hazardous region of space

Jeff Zehnder — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:17:54 +0000

How to save a satellite: Student team races the clock to study a hazardous region of space Jeff Zehnder Wed, 08/13/2025 - 09:17

One Colorado satellite recently got a second chance at life—and science—thanks to a group of undergraduate students and professional engineers at the ��ɫ��Ƶ.

In December 2022, an operations team at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) switched off communications with a spacecraft known as the Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor (CSIM). As far as anyone knew, the mission of this small satellite, or CubeSat, which had launched in 2018, was over.

Members of the small satellites operation team at LASP monitor a spacecraft in orbit. (Credit: LASP)

Adrian Bryant working in operations at LASP. (Credit: LASP)

“We decommissioned it, said goodbye, and we just left it up there in orbit,” said Adrian Bryant, who was an undergraduate student at ��ɫ��Ƶ and a spaceflight operations command controller at LASP at the time.

Years later, Bryant and his colleagues would kick off a race against time to regain control of CSIM, and with just months to go before it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere. They wanted to explore a poorly understood region of space called Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).

VLEO, which extends from around 150 to 220 miles above Earth’s surface, is a hazardous place. The atmosphere there is many times thicker than it is in Low Earth Orbit, which lies at about 250 to more than 1,000 miles above the surface. Companies and space agencies around the world, however, are increasingly hoping to launch satellites to this region, in part because it offers a closer view of the planet’s surface.

“This is the first time in history that the technology is widely available for people to work in VLEO,” said Bryant, who graduated from ��ɫ��Ƶ with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering sciences last spring and has since begun his master’s degree. “To learn these lessons about VLEO early on could be really helpful for the scientific community and space industry.”

To do that, the researchers faced a big question: Could they operate CSIM, which is about the size of large cereal box, in this turbulent environment?

A second life

When LASP scientists first launched the CubeSat, they never expected to study Earth at all.

Instead, the mission team designed CSIM to collect and analyze radiation streaming from the sun. Like most CubeSats, CSIM, which had a budget of around $9.5 million, wasn’t meant to last long in space. When it experienced anomalies in electronics that were critical to its solar science mission, the team shut it done without too much sadness.

But Sierra Flynn, mission operations director for small satellites at LASP, never gave up on the little craft.

“For years, I hinted to my students—there’s a million-dollar spacecraft up there that you guys could do something with,” Flynn said.

Bryant landed on an idea in early 2025. CSIM was already falling back into Earth’s atmosphere. Could the team use its descent to learn something about VLEO?

Members of LASP's small satellites operations team pose for a photo. From left to right, Adrian Bryant, Reina Krumvieda, Sean Svihla, Adrienne Pickerill, Nicholas Ratajczyk and Sierra Flynn. (Credit: LASP)

From left to right, Adrian Bryant, Sierra Flynn and Nicholas Ratajczyk pose with a model of CSIM at the Small Satellite Conference. (Credit: LASP)

The researchers, he believed, could track CSIM’s motion to map how gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere dragged down the small satellite.

There was just one big problem: The team reestablished communications with CSIM in March 2025 and discovered that the CubeSat was tumbling wildly out of control. At CSIM’s current trajectory, it would burn up by June or July.

Race against time

The operations team scrambled to see if it could regain control of CSIM, which was barreling around Earth at more than 15,000 miles per hour.

Bryant and his colleagues needed to use the CubeSat’s three torque rods—essentially, a series of magnets inside the spacecraft’s body. If the group could align these magnets to Earth’s own magnetic field in just the right way, that would slow down CSIM’s spinning in space.

With trial and error and a lot of luck, the researchers managed to do just that—all by late May, with just weeks to spare.

The group was finally able to run its experiments. In July, the CSIM team tilted the CubeSat at various angles to reduce or increase the drag it experienced while flying through Earth’s atmosphere.

These maneuvers allowed the researchers to explore “the practical difficulties of operating in a ‘high-drag’ environment where the upper atmosphere is thicker, and, consequently, the satellite orbit changes rapidly,” said Marcin Pilinski, a research scientist at LASP who was part of the CSIM project.

A final farewell

The researchers are still analyzing their data, but they have already learned valuable lessons about how to successfully operate spacecraft in VLEO, said Nicholas Ratajczyk. He’s an undergraduate student studying aerospace sciences. Ratajczyk enrolled at ��ɫ��Ƶ after previously earning a bachelor’s degree in German from the University of Northern Colorado in 2010.

“My lifelong passion has always been space,” Ratajczyk said. “I’ve always wanted to work in spaceflight operations, so being able to improve our understanding of operating spacecraft in challenging environments—this is why I came back to school. This is my dream job.”

He and his colleagues are already looking ahead to the next missions they can operate in VLEO. In 2026, another LASP CubeSat, known as the Colorado Ultraviolet Transit Experiment (CUTE), is set to reenter Earth’s atmosphere.

As for CSIM, the small satellite finally met its end in the atmosphere, likely over the weekend.

Bryant and Ratajczyk are presenting the team’s results Wednesday, Aug. 13 at the 39th Annual Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City.

“Hopefully, the lessons that we learned here are going can help LASP get the most out of future missions,” Ratajczyk said.

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