July 28, 2025 AFRL welcomes new Space Vehicles director Col. Richard R. Beckman assumed command as director of the Space Vehicles Directorate and commander of the Phillips Research Site, Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, July 15, 2025.
May 9, 2023 AFRL, University of Arizona foster collaboration at tech collider event The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, held the University Tech Collider Working Group at the Rotunda at Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 13-14, 2023. The event was hosted in partnership with New Mexico Tech, the Southwest Innovation Alliance and the University of
Feb. 21, 2023 AFRL celebrates research for nation’s defense The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, held ceremonies Feb. 8-9, 2023, to recognize its 2022 annual award recipients and nominees for the Space Vehicles Directorate and Directed Energy Directorate.
Jan. 26, 2023 Latest milestone brings NTS-3 Vanguard closer to 2023 launch The Department of the Air Force’s Navigation Technology Satellite-3, or NTS-3, Vanguard program has reached another major milestone in preparation for the satellite’s launch in late 2023.
Nov. 8, 2022 AFRL Innovation Awards recognize excellence in tech transfer The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy and Space Vehicles Directorates held their 2022 Innovation Awards ceremony in Albuquerque, Oct. 20, 2022, marking the fifth annual recognition of AFRL inventors and partners in technology transfer.
Oct. 26, 2022 AFRL STEM unit receives DOD STARBASE’s highest level award The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Department of Defense STARBASE NM program, managed through the AFRL STEM Academy, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, received accolades and certification to the highest level, for its work with fifth graders in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.
Oct. 18, 2022 AFRL’s Ascent satellite marks end of mission objectives The Air Force Research Laboratory's small satellite named Ascent has completed all of its mission objectives and is performing extended operations to characterize the survivability of the commercial-off-the-shelf, or COTS, bus electronics in the geosynchronous Earth orbit, or GEO, space environment.
June 9, 2022 New AFRL virtual range to bring directed energy capabilities to warfighters The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate has awarded a contract, the largest award of its kind, to BlueHalo to build a directed energy modeling and simulation virtual range.
April 21, 2022 AFRL is developing green power for satellites The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, Space Vehicles Directorate is developing a new “green energy” fuel cell technology, that will allow thruster equipped spacecraft to convert chemical energy in its bipropellant into electrical power.
Jan. 4, 2021 Ghost town provides high-tech testing for AFRL and others In a dusty ghost town in southern New Mexico, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting some of its most important testing.