| Space Dynamics Laboratory | |
| Abbreviation: | SDL |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Jed J Hancock[1] |
| Type: | Nonprofit |
| Predecessor: | Electro-Dynamics Laboratories (EDL), Upper Air Research Laboratory (UARL) |
| Headquarters: | North Logan, Utah, United States |
| Revenue: | About US$175 million [2] |
| Revenue Year: | FY2019 |
| Staff: | 900+ |
| Staff Year: | FY2019 |
| Parent Organization: | Utah State University |
| Affiliations: | UARC for the Missile Defense Agency |
Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) is a nonprofit government contractor owned by Utah State University. SDL is the sole University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) for the United States Missile Defense Agency; and, is one of 15 UARCs in the nation for the United States Department of Defense. Together with Utah State University, SDL has completed over 420 successful space missions and deployed over 500 independent hardware and software systems into space.[3]
SDL was formed in 1982 from the merger of Utah State University's Electro Dynamics Laboratories (founded in 1959) and the University of Utah's Upper Air Research Laboratory (founded in 1948).[4] 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 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.
SDL origins date back to 1948 with experiments by the University of Utah Upper Air Research Laboratory (UARL) to measure electron density in the upper atmosphere of Earth utilizing German V-2 rockets.[4] In 1959, the Electro-Dynamics Laboratories (EDL) 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 (the Vehicle Charging and Potential experiment) aboard a space shuttle as part of STS-3.
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 (AWE) led by Mike Taylor. AWE involves an imager built at SDL that will be mounted on the International Space Station (ISS) to map airglow.[5]
Other NASA projects include: