USU’s Space Dynamics Laboratory has new bosses at DoD

In an undated photo, Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) employees at the lab’s North Logan campus prepare the Atmospheric Waves Experiment for shipment to the Kennedy Space Center and an ultimate trip into space. SDL has been switched from sponsorship by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration. (Photo by Allison Bills, SDL) 

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has announced that Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) in North Logan will now be sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ).

SDL, in its role as a DoD University Affiliated Research Center (UARC), previously operated under the Missile Defense Agency (MDA).

In 1996, the DoD formed UARCs to formalize long-term, strategic relationships with university-affiliated nonprofit research organizations to maintain and advance specific areas of engineering, research and development. Each UARC operates under the guidance of a primary sponsor and maintains a specific set of core competencies, which are specialized areas of expertise critical to advancing DoD technology needs.

“SDL’s long-standing commitment to advance technologies for national defense reflects a deep alignment with SDL’s core competencies and the space mission of the Department of the Air Force,” said Jed Hancock, president of SDL. “We look forward to continuing our close partnership with the Department of Defense, delivering trusted research and technologies that secure our nation’s interests.”

Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories (AFCRL), a predecessor of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), awarded SDL its first contract in 1959. This marked the beginning of SDL’s long history in space and defense research. SDL was designated as one of the original six UARCs and was sponsored by the MDA for nearly 30 years.

SDL will also continue in its role as a UARC partner sponsored by the U.S. Space Force.

SDL’s research areas include advanced sensing and systems; autonomous systems and intelligent control; space mission design and operations; integrated command, control and data systems; modeling, simulation and phenomenology; and cyber and networked systems.

SDL is headquartered on Utah State University’s Innovation Campus in North Logan, with field offices in Ogden; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Chantilly and Stafford, Virginia; and Huntsville, Alabama.