New SwRI laboratory to study the origins of planetary systems

The Nebular Origins of the Universe Research Laboratory will connect pre-planetary evolution to planetary formation to understand the chemical origins of planetary systems

2025-12-01

(Press-News.org) SAN ANTONIO — December 1, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has created a new space science laboratory to enhance our understanding of the origins of planetary systems. SwRI’s Nebular Origins of the Universe Research (NOUR) Laboratory is led by SwRI Senior Research Scientist Dr. Danna Qasim.

The laboratory will trace the chemical origins of planetary systems. Qasim is establishing a robust astrochemistry program within SwRI’s Space Science Division, connecting early cosmic chemistry to planetary evolution. The SwRI lab will give particular focus on the chemistry of interstellar clouds, vast regions of ice, gas and dust between stars representing a largely unexplored area of astrochemistry.

“We are examining the chemistry of ice, gas and dust that have existed since before our solar system formed, connecting the dots to determine how materials in those clouds ultimately evolve into planets,” Qasim said. “By simulating the physio-chemical conditions of these pre-planetary environments, we can fill key data gaps, providing insights that future NASA missions need to accomplish their goals.”

In 2022, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine Decadal Survey Origins, Worlds, and Life defined several priority science questions related to the solar systems’ early history, planetary evolution and the search for life. The survey called on NASA and other agencies to pursue missions designed to answer these questions.

“The decadal survey emphasizes understanding the origins of our solar system,” Qasim said. “And in our new lab, there is a focus on laboratory experiments, with the long-term vision of growing into a program that integrates laboratory studies, theory, observations and mission data to understand the origins of planetary systems.”

Many planned space missions depend on comprehensive understanding of the origins of volatiles and organic compounds. These programs include NASA’s Moon to Mars Architecture, an in-progress roadmap for long-term exploration of the lunar surface and a manned mission to Mars, and the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, which will perform a comprehensive study of Mercury.

The laboratory will start with two main vacuum chambers. One chamber will be dedicated to the study of dark interstellar cloud chemistry where complex organic molecules are formed, and the other will simulate stellar irradiation of interstellar ices, studying how biologically relevant molecules form. The NOUR laboratory will also include a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS) for analyzing these molecules.

“The irradiation of these ices will produce even more complex molecules – such as components of DNA and RNA. To analyze these very complex species, we will utilize LC-MS. We also plan to investigate sample-returned materials, such as materials from the moon, asteroids, comets and Mars, with the LC-MS,” Qasim said. “By understanding the chemical inventory of pre-planetary environments, we will be able to help trace the origins of potential biosignatures and determine whether they could have been inherited from earlier cosmic stages.”

SwRI scientists will soon begin experiments themed on sulfur and phosphorous, elements critical to life. These experiments are designed to understand how they were incorporated into the building blocks of planets. Both apparatuses will be completed in late 2026.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/markets/earth-space/space-research-technology/space-science/planetary-science.

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