Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) is a nonprofit research laboratory owned by Utah State University, serving as a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Department of Defense. SDL specializes in developing sensor systems, small satellites, and supporting technologies for government and military applications, including electro-optical sensors, data reconnaissance systems, and sensor calibration. Key partners and customers include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and major defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, with their work supporting national security, science, and space exploration.
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Ashley Willardson is Functional Manager, Software – Mission, Automation & Technologies Group at Space Dynamics Laboratory and leads software testing and programmatic reviews for satellite systems.
The University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with Space Dynamics Laboratory, will supply auroral imaging instruments for the CINEMA mission.
Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory has released open-source software called StarFall to detect potentially harmful shooting stars known as bolides.
Sedaro is partnering with Space Dynamics Laboratory and Draper Labs on the 15-month project.
The Space Dynamics Laboratory unveiled the first of a fleet of SunRISE smallsats in Logan, Utah earlier 2022 to support NASA’s Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment mission.
MMA Design completed the design, manufacture, test, and delivery of 12 HaWK Solar Array wings to the Space Dynamics Laboratory to power SunRISE’s 6U smallsat fleet.
For HACSSAT 1 and HACSSAT 2, Blue Canyon provided Space Dynamics Laboratory with the bus electronics for two 3U cubesats, integrated the payloads, and completed environmental testing on both spacecraft.
Space Dynamics Laboratory has used Innoflight’s SCR-100 and SCR-104 across six programs since 2016.
Space Dynamics Laboratory selected the SCR-106 for the SunRISE mission because it meets the mission’s SWaP requirements and leverages the SCR-104 baseband modem.
The Department of Defense announced on 2025-11-10 that the award to Space Dynamics Laboratory was a sole-source, non-competed contract.
Space Dynamics Laboratory is an integrated member of the Missile Defense Agency team leading the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor program and provides experience in space-based infrared sensing phenomenology and sensor systems design, test, and calibration.
The TacRL-2 satellite was built and will be operated by the Air Force Research Laboratory and Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory.
The Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) operates two NASA-funded science satellites: Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter and Compact Infrared Radiometer in Space.