
Astrobiology and Planetary Science
Exploring Worlds Near and Far
Johns Hopkins APL is advancing planetary science and astrobiology through bold missions, innovative technologies, and world-class research. From developing instruments to study planetary atmospheres and surfaces to leading deep-space missions that explore the solar system’s most extreme environments, APL plays a central role in expanding our understanding of planetary bodies and their evolution. Our current work includes serving as the lead institution for NASA’s Dragonfly mission—a nuclear-powered dual quadcopter that will fly across Saturn’s ocean-bearing moon Titan in search of the chemical building blocks of life. This mission complements our broader astrobiology efforts, which focus on simulating extreme planetary environments, advancing our understanding of habitability, and characterizing extrasolar habitable worlds. From Mercury to the Kuiper Belt and beyond, APL remains at the forefront of discovery.
Expertise in Action
APL operates state-of-the-art facilities for simulating the environmental conditions of various worlds, including the Titan Chamber—the Lab’s largest environmental simulator and the only one of its kind in the world that mimics the frigid temperatures of Titan to test Dragonfly spacecraft systems.
They are leaders in the development of planetary particle and plasma investigations, conducting studies of Jupiter’s powerful aurora and Pluto’s dynamic atmosphere. APL scientists and engineers built or contributed to the imager, spectrometer, and plasma instruments to study Jupiter’s potentially habitable moon Europa. And through leading, building, and operating NASA’s Dragonfly mission to study the molecular building blocks of life on Titan, APL is helping spearhead the exploration of ocean worlds to understand their chemistries and potential habitability.
Researchers in our Astrobiology Laboratory explore organisms capable of living in extreme environments, conduct DNA and RNA nanopore sequencing, perform prebiotic chemistry experiments, and understand biosignature stability. APL researchers are also shaping universal habitability standards, integrating ecological and astrobiological models to unify the study of habitability across disciplines. These efforts guide the search for life and deepen our understanding of what makes environments—from Earth to extrasolar planets—capable of supporting life.
The Planetary Exploration Research Laboratory (PERL) drives scientific innovation with infrared and multispectral imagers and spectrometers, supporting planetary exploration with detailed mineral studies.
Our scientists and engineers have pioneered the robotic exploration of the solar system, leading the NEAR mission that captured the first close-up images of an asteroid, the MESSENGER mission that first mapped all of Mercury, and the New Horizons mission that captured the first images of Pluto’s icy heart. They provided a spectrometer to find ancient wet Martian environments and are building others to decipher the origins of Mars’ moon Phobos and the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche.
APL is also host to the Consortium on Habitability and Atmospheres of M-Dwarf Planets (CHAMPS), an interdisciplinary astrobiology research group that’s part of NASA’s Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research. CHAMPS is tasked with observing and understanding planets orbiting M-dwarf stars to ascertain if these planetary bodies are capable of supporting life. Our researchers have been awarded hundreds of hours of observation time with the James Webb Space Telescope to constrain the presence and composition of atmospheres on nearby rocky, M-dwarf planets.
Featured Science Snapshots

Experiments Re-create the Chemistry in the Center of Asteroids
Experiments conducted in the APL Meteorite Lab mimicked the chemistry experienced in asteroidal cores 4.5 billion years ago, revealing distinct chemical signatures imparted in the early solar system.

Dwarf Planet Ceres May Have Widespread Organic Materials
A fusion of two datasets from NASA’s Dawn mission revealed new candidates for organic materials on Ceres, which heightens Ceres’ astrobiological potential.

Booms as Astrobiological Boons
Meteorite impacts may have helped create environments on Earth suitable for life to arise or survive. Could impacts play a similar role at Enceladus, Titan, and Europa? We find that impact conditions at these ocean worlds have been consistent with the survival of organic compounds and/or sufficient for promoting chemistry in impact melt. Thus even the smallest craters at these worlds offer the potential to study chemistry relevant to understanding the emergence of life.
Missions

Dragonfly Outer Moons

Europa Clipper Outer Moons

New Horizons Pluto, Kuiper Belt Objects, and Comets

MESSENGER Terrestrial Planets
Instruments

CRISM Terrestrial Planets

DRACO Asteroids

DraGMet Outer Moons

DraGNS Outer Moons

EIS Outer Moons

JEDI Giant Planets

JoEE/JENI Outer Moons

L’LORRI Asteroids

LORRI Pluto, Kuiper Belt Objects, and Comets

MEGANE Terrestrial Planets

Mini-RF Moon

MISE Outer Moons

PEPSSI Pluto, Kuiper Belt Objects, and Comets

PIMS Giant Planets

Psyche GRNS Asteroids

Vector Magnetometers Moon
Initiatives
While APL may be known for engaging in space-firsts and building first-of-its-kind spacecraft that deflect asteroids or touch the Sun, it also has a deep knowledge base of science and engineering experts who provide critical contributions to critical challenges. Through initiatives like Planetary Defense, Heliophysics and Space Weather, and Cislunar Operations, APL is able to deliver game-changing impacts for civil and national security.

Ice Giant Research and Exploration Giant Planets
Meet Our Experts

Alexandra Pontefract Planetary Scientist; Astrobiologist
Learn more about Alexandra Pontefract
Shannon MacKenzie Planetary Scientist; Physicist
Learn more about Shannon MacKenzie
Kathleen Craft Planetary Scientist; Geophysicist; Astrobiologist
Learn more about Kathleen Craft
Jorge Núñez Planetary Scientists; Astrobiologist; Systems Engineer
Learn more about Jorge Núñez
Paul Burke Space Physicist; Aerospace Engineer
Learn more about Paul Burke
Kevin Stevenson Exoplanet Astronomer
Learn more about Kevin StevensonFor media inquiries, please contact the APL Public Affairs office.
Related News

Dragonfly Mission Passes Critical Design Review Apr 25, 2025

New Study Suggests Trench-Like Features on Uranus’ Moon Ariel May Be Windows to Its Interior Feb 3, 2025

Uranus’ Moon Miranda May Have an Ocean Beneath Its Surface, New Study Finds Oct 28, 2024

Liftoff! NASA’s Europa Clipper Blasts Off in Historic Mission to Jupiter’s Icy Ocean Moon Oct 14, 2024
