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California Institute of Technology

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Dragon Flight Set to Carry Science to Space Station

NASA-JPL's OCO-3 instrument is one of several new science experiments set to launch soon to the International Space Station.Read more

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Things Are Stacking up for NASA's Mars 2020 Spacecraft

As the July 2020 launch date inches closer, the next spacecraft headed to the Red Planet is assembled for more testing.Read more

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Cassini Reveals Surprises with Titan's Lakes

During the spacecraft's last look at Titan, scientists gathered data that reveal what fills the moon's northern lakes - and how deep they are.Read more

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NEOWISE Celebrates Five Years of Asteroid Data

The five years of data from NASA's NEOWISE mission have significantly advanced knowledge of asteroids and comets in the solar system, as well as of stars and galaxies beyond.Read more

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NASA Invites You to 'Picture Earth' for Earth Day

Our magnificent planet is always ready for its close-up. For Earth Day, NASA wants to see your take.Read more

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What's Happening Now

featured News Videos Images

news

| April 10, 2019

The first-ever image of a black hole's shadow has been revealed. NASA telescopes helped characterize the black hole's environment.

First blackhole image

Black Hole Image Makes History

video

| April 2, 2019

What can you see in the April sky? The Moon visits Mars in the evening, and later joins Saturn and Jupiter for a spot of tea. Also, how to find Polaris, the North Star.

What's Up - April 2019

images

| October 30, 2014

This near-infrared, color view from NASA'S Cassini orbiter shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas.

This near-infrared, color view from NASA'S Cassini orbiter shows the sun glinting off of Titan's north polar seas.

Specular Spectacular

news

| May 27, 2008

On May 29 and 30, astronomers and scientists from all around the world will gather in Pasadena to discuss how we might find another Earth, and how we might detect possible life on it.

artist concept of exoplanet

Experts Discuss How to Find Another Earth

VideoS

| June 25, 2007

In this Theodore von Karman lecture at JPL, Dr. Michael Hecht gives an overview of scientific findings from NASA's Phoenix mission on Mars.

robotic arm of Phoenix

Webcast: Phoenix - A Science and Weather Station on Mars

images

| July 22, 2013

In this rare image taken on July 19, 2013, the wide-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured Saturn's rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame.

In this rare image taken on July 19, 2013, the wide-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured Saturn's rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame.

The Day the Earth Smiled: Sneak Preview

news

| March 27, 2007

An odd, six-sided, honeycomb-shaped feature circling the entire north pole of Saturn has captured the interest of scientists with NASA's Cassini mission.

six-sided feature circling Saturn's north pole

Cassini Images Bizarre Hexagon on Saturn

VideoS

| June 22, 2012

Team members share the challenges of Curiosity's final minutes to landing on the surface of Mars.

The Challenges of Getting to Mars

Curiosity's Seven Minutes of Terror

images

| December 17, 2014

This mosaic of images from the navigation camera on the Rosetta spacecraft shows the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

This mosaic of images from the navigation camera on the Rosetta spacecraft shows the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

December 2014 View of Rosetta's Destination Comet

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Missions

JPL is the leading U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system, and has 19 spacecraft and 10 major instruments carrying out planetary, Earth science and space-based astronomy missions.

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Download free 2019 JPL Anniversary calendar

Download our calendar and celebrate space exploration with us.

Eighty two years ago, seven young men drove out to a dry canyon wash in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and helped jump-start the Space Age. Discover more from JPL's 82-year history of daring mighty things with our free calendar. It features photos from JPL and NASA history as well as key anniversaries and happenings at the Laboratory. Click here to download.

Artist's concept of an Exoplanet

Earth-like Planets

What's an Exoplanet?

A trillion planets in our galaxy alone and many of them in Earth’s size range.

What is an Exoplanet?

All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets. Click here to see how many we have found so far.

What are CubeSats?

Big ideas, small satellites

What are CubeSats?

At the forefront of helping redefine the way we do science in space.

What are CubeSats?

A CubeSat (U-class spacecraft) is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiples of 10×10×10 cm cubic units. Click to learn more.

What is the Deep Space Network?

Deep Space Network

What is the DSN?

The largest international array of giant radio antennas supporting interplanetary spacecraft missions.

What is the Deep Space Network?

The DSN consists of three facilities spaced equidistant from each other – approximately 120 degrees apart in longitude – around the world. These sites are at Goldstone, near Barstow, California; near Madrid, Spain; and near Canberra, Australia. Click to learn more.

exotic travel poster art to download for free

Visions of the Future

Free Travel Posters

Download and print our futuristic space tourism posters.

JPL Travel Posters

Take a virtual trip to 14 alien worlds, and maybe even plaster your living room with planetary art, via the new, futuristic space tourism posters. The posters are available free for downloading and printing.

Download a free Voyager poster

Voyager 40th Anniversary

Voyager Posters

Download, print and share with friends and family.

Download Voyager posters for free.

Download three commemorative posters of the Voyager mission and celebrate the spacecraft's incredible 40 year journey.

Last Look: Ahuna Mons on Ceres

Image of the Day

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Education and Public Events

Some are the size of a toaster. Others a suitcase.

Walk through the lifecycle of a mission from its start as a crazy idea, to concept, to development, construction, testing and launch.

Such Stuff as Dreams are Made On: Designing Tomorrow’s Space Missions Today

The Apollo program's "giant leap" took a decade of intense preparation to accomplish, and required a huge support system back on Earth throughout.

Apollo 50th Anniversary

Don’t let the name fool you. Our solar system’s small worlds pack big surprises.

Small Worlds, Big Science

Stories of how we repair and save missions when spacecraft are millions if not billions of miles away.

September 19 & 20

It Broke! Stories of How we Fixed It

All the material we can see is just a small fraction of the universe. The rest, a full 95 percent, is invisible and mysterious.

October 17 & 18

The Other 95% Of The Universe

Learn about how we use the International Space Station as a platform for Earth Science Research.

November 14 & 15

Science From the International Space Station

Science and Technology

Opportunities