NASA JPL

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is NASA's only federally funded research and development center, managed by the California Institute of Technology. Founded in 1936, JPL is a world leader in robotic space exploration, having sent rovers to Mars, probes to every planet in the solar system, and satellites that advance understanding of Earth. JPL spacecraft, science instruments, and airborne missions help humanity study climate change, manage natural resources, and respond to disasters, while the lab's Deep Space Network enables navigation and data return for nearly all spacecraft traveling beyond the Moon. With approximately 5,500 employees at a 168-acre facility in Pasadena, California, JPL operates roughly 40 active missions and carries an annual budget of approximately $2.4 billion.