Qualla: Poker Flat Research Range

Poker Flat Research Range: Introduction

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Sam Altenberger, CC BY-SA 4.0. North of Fairbanks, Alaska, where the aurora borealis dances overhead for months each winter, scientists launch rockets directly into the northern lights. Poker Flat Research Range is the largest land-based rocket range in the world and the only university-owned rocket facility in the United States. Operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, the range has launched over 3,000 sounding rockets since 1968, most designed to study the upper atmosphere and the physics of the aurora. The location is ideal: far enough north to sit beneath the auroral oval, remote enough to provide safety zones, and cold enough that the upper atmosphere phenomena being studied occur regularly overhead. When conditions are right, rockets punch through the green curtains of light in pursuit of scientific data.

Image: Sam Altenberger | CC BY-SA 4.0

Poker Flat Research Range: The Range

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY 2.0. Poker Flat covers 5,132 acres of boreal forest and tundra approximately 30 miles north of Fairbanks. The facility includes multiple launch pads, assembly buildings, telemetry stations, and support infrastructure. The range was established in 1968 as a joint project of the Univers...

Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | CC BY 2.0

Poker Flat Research Range: The Aurora Research

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY 2.0. Poker Flat's location beneath the auroral oval makes it uniquely suited for aurora research. The northern lights occur when charged particles from the sun interact with Earth's atmosphere; understanding this process has implications for space weather forecasting, satellite operat...

Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | CC BY 2.0

Poker Flat Research Range: The Rockets

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY 2.0. Poker Flat launches various sounding rocket types, from small meteorological rockets to larger scientific vehicles reaching altitudes over 1,000 kilometers. Rockets include Black Brant, Terrier-Orion, and Oriole types. Most flights last 10-20 minutes from launch to impact; instru...

Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | CC BY 2.0

Poker Flat Research Range: The Facility

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, CC BY 2.0. The range operates year-round but concentrates launches in winter when aurora activity is strongest and darkness allows visual tracking. Launch operations require coordination with aviation authorities and local communities - rockets launch over sparsely populated wilderness, but...

Image: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | CC BY 2.0

Poker Flat Research Range: Visiting Poker Flat

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit NASA/Jamie Adkins, Public domain. Poker Flat Research Range is located 30 miles north of Fairbanks on the Steese Highway. The facility is not open to the public for safety reasons, but launches can sometimes be observed from the highway. The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus has e...

Image: NASA/Jamie Adkins | Public domain