Ralph Semmel, director emeritus of Johns Hopkins APL, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Class of 2026. https://jhuapl.link/tj8 His election to the NAE honors Semmel's leadership in generating technical advancements in defense, national security, and space exploration.

As America’s skies grow more crowded with commercial drones, the risk of midair collisions increases. APL helped validate technical safeguards that can reduce that risk by a factor of 100 - findings that the FAA relied on in shaping a landmark rule proposed this past summer. https://jhuapl.link/a0d

Milan (Mitch) Nikolich and James Gosler, two national security experts from Johns Hopkins APL, have been named to the Department of War’s (DoW) first Science, Technology, and Innovation Board (STIB). https://jhuapl.link/e88

Stephanie Caporaletti, assistant branch supervisor in the Asymmetric Operations Sector at Johns Hopkins APL, has been appointed as chair of the Engineering Management program in @hopkinsengineer.bsky.social's Engineering for Professionals program. jhuapl.link/992

Cyber threats targeting industrial control systems are increasing. Johns Hopkins APL developed BAS/CS™, a framework that standardizes cybersecurity alerts, improving threat detection across diverse systems while reducing false alarms. https://jhuapl.link/BASCS

Johns Hopkins APL has named Brian Geesaman as mission area executive for Precision Strike. In this role, he leads a diverse portfolio of programs and initiatives focused on integrated strike warfare capabilities supporting the Department of War. https://jhuapl.link/ee6

Tackling real-world challenges in agriculture, environmental remediation, and bio-mining critical materials. That’s the aim of the APL-backed startup Deep Root Biolabs, advancing a biological platform that integrates the unique capabilities of plants and microbes. https://jhuapl.link/36d

NASA has selected Johns Hopkins APL to lead a new lunar science investigation focused on space radiation at the Moon’s surface. The SELINE payload will study galactic cosmic rays and secondary particles to better understand how radiation interacts with lunar regolith. https://jhuapl.link/a4f

Johns Hopkins APL is applying AI and robotics to improve domestic manufacturing. With TETRA, developing new alloys for defense now takes days instead of months. https://jhuapl.link/TETRA

The Next Generation Jammer features high-power amplifier technology and an extended range. APL provided technical insight and worked with government and industry partners to mature critical technologies for a more advanced jammer. https://jhuapl.link/648

Leonard Moss Jr., chief security officer and head of the Security Services Department at Johns Hopkins APL, has been appointed to the National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee (NISPPAC), which recommends updates to U.S. industrial security policy. https://jhuapl.link/a8a

A team from Johns Hopkins APL played a central role in the Vista Gladiator wargame, examining how the military, government and industry can better protect logistics infrastructure from growing adversarial threats and emerging risks. https://jhuapl.link/1ac

NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) has reached its destination of the first Sun-Earth Lagrange point, where it will start its groundbreaking mission of studying the edge of our solar system and advancing our knowledge of space weather. https://jhuapl.link/35e

The BOLT-1B experiment successfully collected measurements that will advance understanding of complex physics important to hypersonic flight. A team of researchers, including staff from APL, will present key takeaways at the upcoming AIAA SciTech Forum. https://jhuapl.link/2c9

Johns Hopkins APL has installed a new industrial robotic arm in its advanced manufacturing facility to support research into maritime repair and manufacturing, helping identify ways to deploy these capabilities to small businesses and industry partners. https://jhuapl.link/u9j

One year since NASA’s Parker Solar Probe survived its record-setting closest approach to the Sun on Dec. 24, 2024, coming within 3.8M miles of the solar surface. Designed, built, and operated by APL, the spacecraft continues delivering groundbreaking results. https://jhuapl.link/089

APL staff members gave back to the local community this holiday season through food, clothing, laundry essentials, and toy drives. #APLCares

NASA and Johns Hopkins APL tested a first-of-its-kind breakthrough demonstrating how a spacecraft can communicate with both government and commercial networks using the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT), which could extend from low Earth orbit to cislunar space. https://jhuapl.link/61e

Quantum computers could tackle problems classical machines can’t, but what would a large-scale system look like? With APL’s support, @darpa.mil is working to define what a useful quantum computer is and how it should be built. https://jhuapl.link/08s

APL has appointed Yu-Han “Hugh” Chen as head of the National Security Analysis Department. He brings over two decades of experience and will guide the integrated analysis that helps government leaders explore new capabilities and inform national security decisions. https://jhuapl.link/966

A predictive space weather model developed by Johns Hopkins APL and partners that is designed to simulate how solar storms affect Earth is now widely available to researchers and the broader public. https://jhuapl.link/5eb

NASA has selected Dartmouth College and Johns Hopkins APL to begin development on CINEMA, a mission to improve our understanding of the growing impacts of space weather. https://jhuapl.link/8cb

APL has been named one of @computerworld.com’s Best Places to Work in IT for the eighth consecutive year. Our IT Services Department enables groundbreaking research through secure, reliable technology and forward-looking innovation. https://jhuapl.link/f13

APL's GenWar Lab is an incubator that fuses analytic and advanced AI capabilities to enhance wargames and tabletop exercises. GenWar Lab builds on APL’s expertise in wargaming, generative AI, and modeling to help decision-makers explore complex mission scenarios. https://jhuapl.link/598

APL and Intuitive Machines are advancing lunar infrastructure to support NASA’s Artemis program and future national security operations. This joint work on communications and navigation systems will help sustain U.S. presence in cislunar space. https://jhuapl.link/95d

APL has appointed Christopher R. Watkins as its first chief mission engineering and integration officer. He will lead Laboratory-wide efforts to strengthen collaboration and accelerate innovation for the nation’s most pressing security challenges. https://jhuapl.link/d8e

APL and @microsoft.com recently showcased MAESTRO, an agentic AI planner that coordinates diverse robot teams. The demo highlighted how large language models can help robotic systems collaborate in complex environments. https://jhuapl.link/976

Happy Thanksgiving from Johns Hopkins APL.

APL developed BAS/CS, a framework that standardizes alerts across cybersecurity tools protecting critical infrastructure. It can integrate with existing security and event-management systems to help mitigate control-system cyber threats in real time, and at no cost. https://jhuapl.link/f47

Patrick Stadter has been named mission area executive for Theater Defense within APL’s Air and Missile Defense Sector. His extensive expertise in aerospace systems and national security will guide Lab teams currently developing technologies that protect U.S. and allied forces https://jhuapl.link/rsg

A team from Johns Hopkins APL and @jhu.edu has achieved a breakthrough in noise characterization in quantum systems, advancing efforts to manage errors in quantum computing and paving the way for more reliable quantum devices. https://jhuapl.link/11a

Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL, in collaboration with DARPA, are developing methods to grow edible microbial food using nonpotable water, advancing future sustainment options for deployed personnel. https://jhuapl.link/1f5

Johns Hopkins APL has installed a new robotic arm that will enable research to advance maritime repair and manufacturing. The system could help strengthen fleet readiness, expand opportunities for future innovation in maritime industrial agility and reduce costs. https://jhuapl.link/u9j

Johns Hopkins APL is applying AI and robotics to improve domestic manufacturing. With TETRA, developing new alloys for defense now takes days instead of months. https://jhuapl.link/078

APL is bringing the power of AI and advanced analytics to wargaming. GenWar Lab leverages advanced AI and LLM capabilities to support the wargames and tabletop exercises that enable military decision-makers to explore dynamic and wide-ranging mission scenarios. https://jhuapl.link/598

APL researchers are applying quantum algorithms to accelerate complex analysis tasks that challenge classical computing, advancing next-generation approaches to information operations. https://jhuapl.link/06t

Researchers from APL and Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering discovered that conventional image quality metrics don't reliably predict AI performance. The team developed a framework to enable the creation of metrics that better explain AI performance. https://jhuapl.link/published

Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are developing next-gen organoid platforms to study how repeated low-level blasts and other forms of brain trauma affect the brain, advancing protection and care for military personnel. https://jhuapl.link/026

Johns Hopkins APL engineers adapted battlefield-tested AI and upstream data fusion to enhance the precision and speed of breast cancer detection. Learn how combining multimodal data streams is revolutionizing diagnostic imaging. Watch the full video: https://jhuapl.link/cjf

APL’s BAS/CS framework is helping secure critical infrastructure by standardizing alerts across cybersecurity systems and vendors. The system is already in use by military operators. https://jhuapl.link/f47

Researchers have touted the revolutionary potential of quantum computers to take on challenges from drug discovery to cryptography. With help from Johns Hopkins APL, DARPA‬ is working to define, in practical terms, what a useful quantum computer looks like. https://jhuapl.link/08s

NASA’s IMAP mission lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Led by Princeton and operated by APL, IMAP will explore the heliosphere and provide critical data for space weather forecasting, which will help protect spacecraft, satellites and human explorers. https://jhuapl.link/d11

NASA’s IMAP mission has passed its Flight Readiness Review, which certifies its readiness to initiate final launch preparation activities. IMAP is targeting a launch date of Sept. 23 from Kennedy Space Center. IMAP will map the heliosphere and advance space weather science. https://jhuapl.link/85e

Today marks 78 years of service and dedication to advancing air and space superiority. Happy birthday to the United States Air Force.

Johns Hopkins APL is revolutionizing metal manufacturing for defense. TETRA, an AI and robotics-driven effort at APL, is slashing the time it takes to design and test metallic components, cutting months of work down to days. https://jhuapl.link/078

Researchers at APL and Samsung Research have unveiled a breakthrough in solid-state cooling, doubling the efficiency of today’s commercial materials. This 2025 R&D 100 Award-winning innovation could transform industries by replacing compressor-based refrigeration. https://jhuapl.link/ea6

Apollo 16 astronauts left footprints in unexpectedly fluffy lunar soil. APL’s Tyler Powell linked that to a thermal “cold spot” detected by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, showing how temp reveals hidden surface conditions & guides future human exploration. https://jhuapl.link/science-snapshot

Researchers at Johns Hopkins APL are advancing robotic perception with agentic AI, enabling autonomous agents to make sense of unstructured environments and plan like humans, supporting warfighters and first responders in complex, off-road situations. https://jhuapl.link/b51

NASA’s Dragonfly mission, built and managed by APL, is on schedule and on track for its 2028 launch. Each week brings progress: tests completed, hardware produced, software validated, analyses proven. The team is moving toward the 2026 start of integration and testing. https://jhuapl.link/4ac

Johns Hopkins APL has been recognized for the seventh consecutive year as one of @fastcompany.com’s Best Workplaces for Innovators. APL ranks in the top 50 worldwide for fostering innovation and bold ideas. https://jhuapl.link/47b