DUST III Sounding Rocket Launch

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute hosted two successful NASA-funded sounding rocket launches at the Poker Flat Research Range during the week of October 19, 2026. Both missions were conducted at the facility for the first time, having previously launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The first mission, the Integral Field Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Experiment (INFUSE II), launched on Monday, October 19, at approximately 10:30 p.m. Led by Brian Fleming of the University of Colorado Boulder, the mission successfully mapped far-ultraviolet light from the Dumbbell Nebula to study how stars release matter and energy. The second mission, the Determining Unknown yet Significant Traits (DUST III) program, launched on Wednesday, October 21, at 9:30 p.m. This mission, a collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, carried a laboratory to study the formation and growth of silicate dust grains in a near-weightless environment. Both missions were supported by NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program Office and the Wallops Flight Facility. The Poker Flat Research Range is owned by the UAF Geophysical Institute and is located at Mile 30 of the Steese Highway.