Projects and Missions

Below is a sampling of APL’s critical contributions to critical challenges. Projects and missions are displayed in alphabetical order. 

Filter projects and missions by area of impact, mission area, or both.

USS Ronald Reagan (Credit: US Navy / Jason Tarleton)

Deployed with the Fleet

In 2017, APL staff members deployed on U.S. Navy Commander, Task Force 70 (CTF-70) patrols aboard the carrier USS Ronald Reagan—an assignment that allowed our engineers to experience the fleet’s challenges and operational workflows, and gather important data to feed future analyses and technology demonstrations in operationally relevant environments.
Learn more about Deployed with the Fleet
Malware detection (Credit: Bigstock)

Detecting Malware

Using different types of powerful analytics, the APL-developed REnigma tool enables cyber analysts to quickly review malware.
Learn more about Detecting Malware
Researchers cut and assembled tiny solar cells on thin, flexible circuit boards before sealing them in a protective polymer to create a fiber-like strand that was woven with nylon into a small textile.

Developing Battery- and Solar-Powered Fibers

APL researchers have established new, scalable methods of developing battery- and solar-powered fibers, making it theoretically possible for electrical energy to be harvested from, and stored in, the clothing people wear.
Learn more about Developing Battery- and Solar-Powered Fibers
Artist's rendering of Dragonfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly is a NASA New Frontiers mission that will send a rotorcraft lander to explore the prebiotic chemistry and habitability of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.
Learn more about Dragonfly
Flu vaccine

Durable and Portable Therapeutics Production

APL experts have made significant strides in developing methods for portable production of vaccines and other therapeutics, enabling production on demand in remote locations and during emergency outbreaks.
Learn more about Durable and Portable Therapeutics Production
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test Sept. 5, 2016, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo/Michael Peterson)

Dynamic Simulation

With the clock ticking down to the first Minuteman III test flight to feature a miniature analog translator (MAT)—developed and built by APL to replace the obsolete full signal translator (FST) used for real-time range tracking and GPS signal data on prior test flights—qualification tests identified a need to change a configuration file in the MAT ground equipment.
Learn more about Dynamic Simulation
James Johnson and Danielle Nachman in APL’s PFAS research laboratory.

Eliminating Forever Chemicals

Multiple studies have linked PFAS exposure to harmful health effects in humans and animals, and without a natural way to break them down, the chemicals persist in soil and contaminate the environment — including water. APL scientists are developing several technologies to capture and destroy these “forever chemicals.”
Learn more about Eliminating Forever Chemicals
Military personnel in MOC at Johns Hopkins APL

Enabling the Next Generation of Space Operator

APL is uniquely positioned to bolster the Joint Force in their effort to enhance the professional development of military and civilian members.
Learn more about Enabling the Next Generation of Space Operator
Collaborative Analysis Center

Engaging Senior Decision-Makers

APL partnered with the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics to design and execute a space wargame based on a rigorous analytical framework.
Learn more about Engaging Senior Decision-Makers
EMAPS technology allows operators to map areas and confined spaces that GPS cannot "see."

Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS)

We continue to strengthen EMAPS, a portable mapping system carried in a backpack, for the Department of Defense’s Chemical and Biological Defense Program.
Learn more about Enhanced Mapping and Positioning System (EMAPS)
Illustration of a globe (Credit: Bigstock)

Ensuring Resilient Enabling Capabilities in Denied Environments

On behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, APL is merging technical capabilities with acquisition strategy to mitigate adversary threats to command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) in the maritime, terrestrial, air, space, and cyber domains.
Learn more about Ensuring Resilient Enabling Capabilities in Denied Environments
Artist's rendering of Europa Clipper

Europa Clipper

A mission to survey Jupiter’s icy moon Europa and determine whether it has conditions suitable to harboring life.
Learn more about Europa Clipper
EZIE satellites

EZIE

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) will characterize the electrojets that flow high in Earth’s atmosphere to reveal the underlying processes that form them.
Learn more about EZIE
Golden Horde

Golden Horde

Achieving networked, collaborative offensive weapons systems that will learn from their environment and autonomously work together to defeat integrated air and missile defenses.
Learn more about Golden Horde
Artist's rendering of the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (Credit: (U.S. Air Force)

Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent

APL has a significant evaluation role in the Air Force program to replace the aging Minuteman III system.
Learn more about Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent