The Planetary Science Institute (PSI) is an independent research institute dedicated to the study of planetary science. The institute was founded in 1968 by Dr. Carl Sagan and Dr. Bruce Murray, two of the world’s leading planetary scientists. PSI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, USA. PSI also has offices in Washington D.C., United Kingdom, and Chile.
PSI is one of the world’s largest research organizations devoted exclusively to planetary science. The institute conducts research on all aspects of solar system science, from planets and moons to asteroids, comets, and meteorites. PSI scientists use a variety of techniques to study the solar system, including observations from ground-based telescopes, space-based satellites, and robotic spacecraft missions. In addition to its own scientific research programs, PSI operates several facilities that are used by the international scientific community, including the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) facility at NASA’s Ames Research Center and the Planetary Data System (PDS), which archives data from NASA’s planetary science missions.
PSI has a long history of involvement in NASA’s planetary exploration program. Institute scientists were instrumental in developing many of the concepts and technologies used in past and present robotic spacecraft missions, including Mars Pathfinder/Sojourner (1997), Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit & Opportunity (2003), Phoenix Mars Lander (2008), MAVEN orbiter (2013), and New Horizons Pluto mission (2015). PSI is also actively involved in several ongoing missions: OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission; Juno Jupiter orbiter mission; Lucy Trojan asteroid tour; Mars 2020 rover mission; Psyche metal world orbiter mission; as well as several concept studies for future missions. In addition to its involvement in robotic spacecraft missions, PSI operates two ground-based observatories: Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona which discovers Near Earth Objects (NEOs); and MINERVA array of small telescopes on Hawaii which tracks NEOs during their close approaches to Earth..
PSI’s work contributes significantly to our understanding of how our solar system formed and evolved into its present state – knowledge that is essential for discovering life beyond Earth and protecting our planet from impact hazards such as asteroids & comets