Experimental & Computational Lab for Impacts, Plasmas & Space Environments

The Experimental & Computational Lab for Impacts, Plasmas & the Space Environment (formerly known as Space Environment and Satellite Systems) in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University studies the interactions between spacecraft, materials, plasmas, and the space environment. Current research combines experimental, computational, and observational approaches to investigate space plasma physics, hypervelocity impact-generated plasmas, spacecraft and material charging, electromagnetic phenomena, and space-environment effects on spacecraft. The lab develops and applies computational plasma models, including particle-in-cell simulations, alongside laboratory experiments, radar remote sensing, and ground- and space-based observations to characterize these phenomena.