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Clockwise from the top: aerial view of JPL, NISAR testing in the Space Simulator, Sojourner at JPL's Mars Yard, Mars 2020 rover, and JPL Mission Control | |
| Established | October 31, 1936 |
|---|---|
| Research type | Applied |
| Director | Laurie Leshin |
| Staff | >6,000 |
| Address | 4800 Oak Grove Drive |
| Location | La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States 34°12′00″N 118°10′18″W / 34.20000°N 118.17167°W |
Subdivision | JPL Science Division |
Operating agency | Managed for NASA by Caltech |
| Website | jpl.nasa.gov |
| Map | |
  Location in California  Jet Propulsion Laboratory (the United States) | |
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The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) in La Cañada Flintridge, California, Crescenta Valley, United States.[1] Founded in 1936 by Caltech researchers, the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by NASA and administered and managed by the California Institute of Technology.[2][3]
The primary function of the laboratory is the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft, though it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. It is also responsible for operating the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN).
Among the major active projects at the laboratory, some are the Mars 2020 mission, which includes the Perseverance rover; the Mars Science Laboratory mission, including the Curiosity rover; the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter; the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter; the SMAP satellite for Earth surface soil moisture monitoring; the NuSTAR X-ray telescope; and the Psyche asteroid orbiter. It is also responsible for managing the JPL Small-Body Database, and provides physical data and lists of publications for all known small Solar System bodies.
JPL's Space Flight Operations Facility and Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator are designated National Historic Landmarks.
- ^ Henry, Jason (July 14, 2016). "Why does everyone say NASA's JPL is in Pasadena when this other city is its real home?". Pasadena Star-News. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
- ^ "Master Government List of Federally Funded R&D Centers | NCSES | NSF". nsf.gov. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ "History". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2023.