Arizona State University (ASU), a top university for NASA-funded research, is making a splash in the gravitational center of the American aerospace sector: Los Angeles
On May 15, 2026, ASU partnered with the Los Angeles Times Media Group to host the Aerospace and Defense Summit to unite key commercial innovators, policymakers and defense leaders in the space industry.
“The technological advancements that got us to the moon also transformed our world here on Earth,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “They brought us foundational technologies of our modern life: smartphones, laptops, advanced medical imaging and much more. Space innovation is existential for our country not only in orbit, but here on earth. ASU is making sure the United States is staying ahead.”
Leading in Space Innovation
At the center of ASU’s contribution to the space industry is the School of Earth and Space Exploration. This school was founded on a simple, bold premise: to truly lead in space, we must break down the walls between the scientists asking the questions and the engineers building the tools and the industry needing solutions.
“In most traditional academic settings, these groups live in different buildings and speak different languages, and the university stays internally focused,” said Dr. Sally Morton, executive vice president and chief research and innovation officer for ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise. “But ASU purposely brings them together, and the results have been incredible.”
Dr. Laurie Leshin, University Professor for Space Futures at ASU and former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was a keynote speaker at the summit. Dr. Leshin said the space industry needs to move away from being a government-owned system with antiquated procurement rules to a nimbler industry that can turn research and development into practical uses.
Universities like ASU can play a critical role in the process, she said, noting how ASU has become a foundational anchor in the microelectronics industry with facilities like MacroTechnology Works that allows faculty, students and industry partners to collaborate on research and development and pilot manufacturing. This microelectronics research includes radiation-hardened materials for use in extreme environments like space.
Space R&D: From Mars to Deep Space
ASU helps lead the Psyche Mission, which is a deep-space NASA mission to study a metal-rich asteroid of the same name. That asteroid might just be the core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet. The Psyche spacecraft launched in October 2023 and is nearing the halfway point of its scheduled six-year mission.
ASU also leads the Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) mission, which is funded by NASA. It is the first mission dedicated to long-term ultraviolet monitoring of nearby low-mass stars. These stars are the most common in our galaxy and often have Earth-sized, possibly habitable planets. Earlier this year, the mission captured its first images of these stars.
In addition to leading NASA missions, ASU faculty members have also designed the instruments needed for these missions. Regents Professor Jim Bell from the School of Earth and Space Exploration designed and led Mastcam-Z, a pair of zoomable, color science cameras, on NASA’s Mars “Perseverance” rover. At maximum zoom, the cameras see features as small as the tip of a pencil close by, and the size of an almond from a football field away.
Delivering World-Class Education in Southern California
ASU’s Southern California footprint is growing. The ASU California Center now spans two buildings in downtown Los Angeles, including the historic Herald Examiner Building. California is home to more than 100,000 students who have enrolled in ASU programs over the past 25 years. The ASU California Center is allowing students to access ASU’s world-class education while benefiting from L.A.’s unique offerings.
During the summit, President Crow asked Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong how people can benefit from the economic progress being made by companies in the aerospace and defense industry. Dr. Soon-Shiong said more summits and discussions that bring together leaders in those industries are imperative, and he praised ASU’s School of Earth and Space Exploration for supporting innovative companies in the industry.
“The most innovative universities truly change the course of not only how students are taught, but worldwide learning,” Dr. Soon-Shiong said.
What’s Next?
The summit succeeded in bringing space industry leaders together to discuss how the U.S. can leverage the collective strength of its private sector, universities and government to advance aerospace technologies.
“ASU is ready to scale its work with aerospace technology companies to realize their innovation goals,” said Kevin McGinnis, ASU’s vice president for strategic technology initiatives. “I look forward to forging new public-private partnerships to advance the U.S. aerospace industry.”
