Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a NASA center in Pasadena managed by Caltech, specializing in robotic spacecraft, planetary exploration, Earth science instruments and mission operations.

Author: Leandro Alegsa Creation date: November 13, 2022 Last updated: May 14, 2026

Overview

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a United States research and development center that plans, builds and operates robotic spacecraft and instruments for space and Earth science. Operated by the California Institute of Technology for NASA, JPL is located in Pasadena, California. Its work spans mission conception, engineering design, spacecraft assembly and day-to-day mission operations.

History and development

JPL traces its roots to a group of engineers and students at Caltech who experimented with rockets and guidance systems in the early 20th century. Over time those activities matured into a laboratory focused on the practical application of rocketry and spacecraft technologies. The center became closely associated with national space efforts and evolved into a principal U.S. laboratory for unmanned exploration.

Functions and capabilities

JPL specializes in robotic exploration: designing payloads, developing instruments, fabricating flight hardware, and operating missions after launch. It is also responsible for navigation and mission control for many deep-space projects and contributes to system engineering, data analysis and technology development in areas such as robotics, avionics, planetary protection and remote sensing.

Notable missions and examples

Over decades JPL teams have led or supported many high-profile missions. Examples include long-lived interplanetary probes, a series of Mars exploration rovers, and spacecraft that studied the outer planets and small bodies. JPL involvement often includes spacecraft engineering, mission operations and scientific instrument contribution.

Organization, facilities and public role

The laboratory hosts integration and test facilities, clean rooms, mission control centers and laboratories for instrument development. It employs scientists, engineers and technical staff across multidisciplinary teams. JPL also maintains public outreach and education programs, offers tours and provides resources to schools and the general public to promote STEM and space science.

Distinctive facts

JPL is a federally funded research center operated by a university partner for a government agency.
It focuses primarily on unmanned robotic missions rather than human spaceflight.
Its work has had broad scientific and technological impact, advancing planetary science, remote sensing and autonomous systems.

History

JPL was created in the 1930s when Caltech professor Theodore von Kármán, along with students and assistants, began conducting experiments with rocket engines. On October 31, 1936, they launched their first rocket.

Von Kármán convinced the US Army to support him. The Army asked the newly assembled team to study the German V2 rocket, using the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the first time. This name was given to the research facility in order to create a serious impression to the outside world, since at that time dealing with rockets was considered frivolous.

Based on the research results of JPL, the Corporal rocket was developed, which the Americans put into service from 1955 and stationed in Europe. On December 3, 1958, NASA, founded two months earlier, took over JPL from the military. Unlike the other centers, JPL is not part of NASA, but only affiliated with NASA. JPL is part of the University of Caltech.

JPL kept its name, although in the following period no more research on jet propulsion (rockets) was carried out. Instead, it developed into the world's leading center for space probes, their technology and planetary research. However, JPL has recently faced serious competition from the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University.

Space Exploration

On January 31, 1958, JPL launched Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite. In the 1960s, JPL launched the first space probes to the moon (Ranger) and missions to other planets (Mariner). On December 14, 1962, Mariner 2 became the first spacecraft to fly past a foreign planet (Venus). In 1976, the Viking probes searched for life on Mars for the first time. In 1977 Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched to the outer planets. In October 1998, Deep Space 1, a space probe with ion propulsion and other new technologies, was launched.

The cneos at JPL publishes the Sentry Risk Table, which regularly maps the latest research results from the Sentry monitoring system on the impact risk of Earth orbit cruisers.

Furthermore, JPL developed the so-called JPL sequences. These are special code sequences which are used, among other things, in space applications for distance measurement and can shorten the synchronization times for spread spectrum signals. Furthermore, JPL sequences are used in the global positioning system (GPS) for the transmission of the P/Y code used in military applications.

Earth Explorer

In the 1970s, JPL showed that instruments aboard space probes could also be used to study Earth, resulting in the Seasat mission.

Missions

JPL's missions include:

Explorer 1 to 5
Mariner 1 to 10
Ranger 1 to 9, Surveyor 1 to 7
Seasat
Viking 1 and 2
Voyager 1 and Voyager2
Galileo
Magellan
The Mars rovers Pathfinder, Opportunity and Spirit
Cassini
Mars Science Laboratory
Dawn
InSight
Mars 2020

JPL also built instruments for other projects, such as the Hubble Space Telescope's wide-angle camera, and tests new technologies for NASA, such as the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator.