HAARP

HAARP, the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is an ionospheric research facility near Gakona in Alaska’s Copper River Valley. The U.S. Air Force built and operated it until 2015, when the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute took it over.[1]

Facility

HAARP is a 40-acre grid of antenna towers that the university describes as the most powerful ionospheric heater in the world. Its high-frequency transmitters beam energy into the aurora zone about 100 miles up and are powered by diesel generators taken from four tugboats and one locomotive.[1]

History and purpose

The facility opened in 2003 and was last operated by the Air Force in 2014. Earlier work was largely military, while the university plans more basic science such as modeling how ions interact with neutral particles in the upper atmosphere. The first science campaigns under university ownership began in February 2017.[1]

Location and purpose

HAARP, the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program, is near Gakona, Alaska, about 250 km northeast of Anchorage. It studies the ionosphere, the highest ionized part of Earth atmosphere [2].

Construction and instrument

Construction began in 1993, the array began operating in 1999, and it was expanded in 2007. Its main instrument, the Ionospheric Research Instrument, is a high-frequency phased array of 180 antennas with 3.6 MW of transmitter power, operating from about 2.7 to 10 MHz and able to aim within 30 degrees of zenith [2].

Ownership and research

Ownership transferred to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in August 2015, which has operated the facility since. Research areas include ionospheric heating experiments, artificial airglow, VLF and ELF wave generation, radar observations of the upper atmosphere, and effects on GPS signals [2].

Public access

An open house is held each August, when visitors can tour the facility [2].

FAQs

What does HAARP study? The ionosphere.

Who runs HAARP now? The UAF Geophysical Institute.

Where is it? Near Gakona, Alaska.

Where is HAARP? Near Gakona, Alaska [2].

Who operates HAARP? The University of Alaska Fairbanks since August 2015 [2].

Sources

1. University of Alaska Fairbanks: HAARP ready for business under UAF management
2. Wikipedia: High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue