Space Dynamics Laboratory


Space Dynamics Laboratory is a nonprofit government contractor owned by Utah State University. SDL was formed in 1982 from the merger of Utah State University's Electro Dynamics Laboratories and the University of Utah's Upper Air Research Laboratory. The corporation has been responsible for the design, fabrication, and operation of sensors on over 430 payloads ranging from aircraft and rocket-borne experiments to space shuttle experiments and satellite-based sensor systems. SDL is the Missile Defense Agency's University Affiliated Research Center and one of 14 UARCs in the nation. SDL provides sensor systems and supporting technologies to address challenges for the United States government. SDL designs and develops electro-optical sensors, builds small satellites, provides calibration services, and creates real-time data reconnaissance systems.
SDL employs over 900 engineers, students, and professional staff at facilities in Logan, Utah; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bedford, Massachusetts; Dayton, Ohio; Huntsville, Alabama; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and Washington, D.C.

History

SDL origins date back to 1948 with experiments by the University of Utah Upper Air Research Laboratory to measure electron density in the upper atmosphere of Earth utilizing German V-2 rockets. In 1959 the Electro-Dynamics Laboratories was founded at Utah State University. The UARL relocated to Utah State University in 1970 and merged with EDL in 1982 to form SDL. One of the early missions involved measurements during Operation Dominic in 1962. In 1965 the laboratory participated in its 100th launch aboard a sounding rocket. In 1982 SDL participated in its first experiment aboard a space shuttle as part of STS-3.

Projects for NASA

SDL has been a contractor for NASA on a variety of missions for decades. In 2019 NASA selected USU to conduct the Atmospheric Waves Experiment led by Mike Taylor. AWE involves an imager built at SDL that will be mounted on the International Space Station to map airglow.
Other NASA projects include: