Space Exploration & Discovery

Caltech seamlessly integrates fundamental science, advanced engineering and instrumentation, and mission management and execution through its management for NASA of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)—the leading center for the robotic exploration of Earth, the solar system, and our universe's more distant expanses.

America's leadership in and understanding of space, and its exploration of the cosmos and beyond, are made possible through Caltech's operation of world-class observational facilities, and by the work on campus and Lab to invent new tools and techniques for ground- and space-based observation and analysis. The researchers who do this work are driven by a sense of curiosity and exploration that is central to the quest to uncover the origins of our universe and to determine whether life exists elsewhere.

Scientists and engineers on the Caltech campus and at JPL work together to lead missions in planetary exploration, Earth science, and astronomy. Spacecraft and space-based telescopes probe the farthest reaches of our solar system and discovery of worlds beyond, while closer to home, observational instruments provide crucial insights into Earth's environment, help to inform disaster response and resiliency efforts, and offer a full-spectrum view of the universe and its many bodies. Meanwhile, technological innovations that originated on campus and at JPL transform life on Earth. This work is supported by a broader ecosystem that includes the Palomar Observatory, where discoveries begin with observations of the sky; IPAC, which enables researchers to manage and analyze vast astronomical datasets; and the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS), which brings together experts from academia, government, and industry to explore new ideas and approaches for future space missions and scientific challenges.

And more innovations are expected to come as Caltech's historic public–private partnership with NASA to manage JPL has been strengthened even further by the Brinson Exploration Hub, a Caltech center bridging academia, industry, and government that enables our researchers to conceive of and develop future expeditions, missions, and technologies in space and on Earth.