Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Founded by Caltech faculty and students in 1936 and located six miles from campus on the border between Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed by Caltech for NASA, is the leading U.S. center for robotic space exploration. JPL’s 6,500 employees are tightly connected to the campus research mission and together enable the Institute to push the frontiers of space and Earth science. JPL is currently responsible for operating 39 NASA missions, including the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars rovers, Juno Jupiter orbiter, and the Sentinel-6/Michael Freilich Earth science mission, all of which are pioneering new approaches for space exploration. Caltech and JPL engage in collaborations and joint appointments of faculty, lecturers, and visitors. Learn more at jpl.nasa.gov.