The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at CU Boulder is the only lab in the world to design and build instruments that have visited every planet in the solar system.
Aerospace
The aerospace industry is deeply rooted in Boulder, dating back to the formation of Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation here in 1956. Over the years, Ball Aerospace has been joined by a number of other aerospace companies with a significant presence in the area including Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, Digital Globe, and SpaceDev. Today, Boulder has a high concentration of aerospace employment and entities that support the industry.
The University of Colorado at Boulder receives more NASA funding than any other public university in the US, and has a nationally recognized aerospace engineering sciences program. Boulder is home to several federally funded laboratories doing research in aerospace including the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), JILA, Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy (CASA), and Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). Both the Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance and Colorado Photonics Industry Association are also headquartered in Boulder.
| Number of Firms | 144 |
|---|---|
| Number of Employees | 6,315 |
| Average Wages | $108,936 |
| Employment Concentration (1.0=US average) | 4.9 |
Source: University of Colorado Business Research Division (2010)
Related News and Events
New Space Incubator Program in Boulder
July 20, 2009 – Three companies have been selected for the inaugural class of Boulder-based eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship’s space incubator program. eSpace, a collaboration between the University of Colorado and SpaceDev Inc., supports workforce development and entrepreneurship in the space industry.
CU-Boulder wins NASA funding for LASP project
July 10, 2009 – The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado at Boulder was awarded $42 million from NASA to develop the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS), a satellite sensor that will measure the sun’s radiation. The sensor will be attached to one of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System satellites.