Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory (SPEL) was built in 2011 in the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Chile to serve as the headquarters of the design, construction, development, and operation of the first Chilean nanosatellite, SUCHAI. Since that year, many students have contributed to the SUCHAI project and others, extending the research areas of the laboratory.
The laboratory's team collaborates with other partners to explore space by developing space missions taking advantage of miniaturized satellites. The research is focused on the space and planetary environments that might support different ecosystems in space.
The laboratory's team collaborates with other partners to study earth environment, in particular in extreme environments. This work is not only to contribute in the understanding of life in our planet, but also as to use that knowledge for supporting the search and/or maintenance of life either in space or in other celestial bodies.