We solve complex research, engineering, and analytical problems that present critical challenges to our nation. APL—the nation’s largest university affiliated research center—provides U.S. government agencies with deep expertise in specialized fields to support national priorities and technology development programs. We also serve as independent trusted technical agents to the government, providing continuity for highly complex, multigenerational technology development systems.
Our purpose is to make critical contributions to critical challenges. At APL, we feel it is our responsibility to try to solve these national challenges with the full measure of our dedication and expertise.
The Lab’s core values are unquestionable integrity, trusted service to the nation, world-class expertise, and game-changing impact—all in an environment that is collaborative, fulfilling (and even fun!).
APL’s purpose and core values guide our future, and it is no less than to create defining innovations that ensure our nation’s preeminence in the 21st century.
October 25, 2021
A legacy material called silicon-germanium is making a comeback in NASA’s next-generation nuclear power source for spacecraft, thanks in part to recent work by an APL-led team. Its resurgence will enable NASA missions to travel farther and longer than current capabilities allow.
October 22, 2021
APL formally opened Building 201 and its state-of-the-art research facilities on Oct. 19, with a ceremony featuring Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and other government and university leaders.
October 20, 2021
Just two days after leaving Johns Hopkins APL in a specialized container, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where it is scheduled to launch in late November.
October 13, 2021
Scientists at APL have devised a unique way to destroy these ubiquitous and toxic environmental chemicals for good. The method is inexpensive, does not generate undesirable byproducts and is practical and scalable for a variety of governmental, civilian and commercial applications.
October 11, 2021
Just a year after a team from Johns Hopkins APL and Durham University showed for the first time that spacecraft could help end a decades-long stalemate on how long a neutron can last outside an atom’s nucleus, the team has done it again. In a new study using lunar data, the team made a tenfold improvement on their last estimate, drawing closer to answering a question that will improve our understanding of the early universe.
October 1, 2021
Shortly after it arrived at Johns Hopkins APL, the Italian Space Agency’s first-ever deep-space miniaturized satellite, called LICIACube, was installed on DART. The CubeSat will snap images of DART as it performs its final maneuver: a deliberate crash into an asteroid.
September 30, 2021
Genomics work has historically been the province of small, highly specialized laboratories with access to top-of-the-line hardware, infrastructure support and technical expertise. Now, a software platform developed largely by APL is making advanced genomics tools accessible and user-friendly for scientists and public health workers around the world.
September 24, 2021
APL has been working with the U.S. Army to develop an experimental prototype for the Multi-Domain Task Force for situational awareness, targeting and intelligence preparation of the operational environment at the security level of the unit.
September 20, 2021
APL researchers are applying expertise in Earth sensing and modeling to predict system changes, providing critical data to support decisions on the national security aspects of mitigating effects of climate change.
September 20, 2021
Two engineers at Johns Hopkins APL have been honored by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for their significant technical and outreach contributions.
September 17, 2021
APL scientists have made significant progress toward creating the first worldwide, near-real-time inventory of road transportation emissions, contributing a major piece to a larger effort to monitor greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale, known as Climate TRACE.
