Editing Jet Propulsion Laboratory (section)

{{short description|Research and development center and NASA field center in California, United States}}
{{Redirect|JPL}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox laboratory
| logo             = NASA JPL Meatball Logo.webp
| logo_size = 297px
| image            = {{multiple image
| border = infobox
| total_width = 310
| image_style = border:1;
| perrow = 1/2/2
| image1 = Site du JPL en Californie.jpg
| image2 = NASA Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars (NHQ202102180003).jpg
| image3 = NISAR's flight antenna system undergoes thermal vacuum testing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (D2020 0826 G2231).jpg
| image4 = PIA23499-Mars2020Rover-FirstTestDrive-20191217a.jpg
| image5 = Sojourner at JPL Mars Yard 01.jpg
}}
| alt              = An image featuring a birds-eye, aerial view of the laboratory campus buildings and surrounding landscape. The site is nestled in a valley between green, rolling mountains.
| caption          = Clockwise from the top: aerial view of JPL, [[NISAR (satellite)|NISAR]] testing in the [[Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator|Space Simulator]], [[Sojourner (rover)|Sojourner]] at JPL's Mars Yard, [[Mars 2020|Mars 2020 rover]], and JPL Mission Control
| established      = {{Start date and age|1936|10|31}}
| type             = Applied
| director         = [[Laurie Leshin]]
| staff            = >6,000
| address          = 4800 Oak Grove Drive
| city             = [[La Cañada Flintridge, California|La Cañada Flintridge]]
| state            = [[California]]
| country          = United States
| coordinates      = {{Coord|34|12|00|N|118|10|18|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}}
| location_map     = California#USA
| free_label       = Subdivision
| free             = [[JPL Science Division]]
| operating_agency = Managed for [[NASA]] by [[California Institute of Technology|Caltech]]
| website          = {{URL|https://www.jpl.nasa.gov|jpl.nasa.gov}}
}}

The '''Jet Propulsion Laboratory''' ('''JPL''') is a [[Federally funded research and development centers|federally funded research and development center]] (FFRDC) in [[La Cañada Flintridge, California]], Crescenta Valley, United States.<ref name="Henry">{{cite news |first=Jason |last=Henry |title=Why does everyone say NASA's JPL is in Pasadena when this other city is its real home? |url=http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/science/20160713/why-does-everyone-say-nasas-jpl-is-in-pasadena-when-this-other-city-is-its-real-home |newspaper=[[Pasadena Star-News]] |date=2016-07-14 |access-date=2023-02-25 |archive-date=2017-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802044813/http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/science/20160713/why-does-everyone-say-nasas-jpl-is-in-pasadena-when-this-other-city-is-its-real-home |url-status=live }}</ref> Founded in 1936 by [[California Institute of Technology]] (Caltech) researchers, the laboratory is now owned and sponsored by [[NASA]] and administered and managed by Caltech.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Master Government List of Federally Funded R&D Centers {{!}} NCSES {{!}} NSF |url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/ |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=nsf.gov |archive-date=2022-10-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221007025535/https://nsf.gov/statistics/ffrdclist/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about/history.php |access-date=2023-02-25 |publisher=Jet Propulsion Laboratory |archive-date=2020-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212121341/https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/about/history.php |url-status=live }}</ref>

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)|Perseverance]]'' rover; the [[Mars Science Laboratory]] mission, including the ''[[Curiosity (rover)|Curiosity]]'' rover; the ''[[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter]]''; the ''[[Juno (spacecraft)|Juno]]'' spacecraft orbiting [[Jupiter]]; the ''[[Soil Moisture Active Passive|SMAP]]'' satellite for Earth surface soil moisture monitoring; the [[NuSTAR]] [[X-ray telescope]]; and the ''[[Psyche (spacecraft)|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 body|small Solar System bodies]].

JPL's [[Space Flight Operations Facility]] and [[Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator]] are designated [[National Historic Landmark]]s.