JPL
JPL director to step down
The director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will step down after five years on the job to become a professor at the university that operates the lab.
Perseverance makes its first drive on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover has started moving on the Martian surface as project scientists prepare to send the rover toward the remnants of a river delta in search of signs of past life.
NASA releases video of Perseverance landing
The Perseverance rover is in good condition on the surface of Mars, NASA officials said Feb. 22, showing off stunning video from its landing on the red planet last week.
Europa Clipper seeking savings as cost reserves plummet
The management of NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, facing dwindling cost reserves while still years away from launch, is looking at cost saving options that would preserve the mission’s science.
Former NASA chief technologist to lead JPL planetary exploration program
A former NASA chief technologist will be joining the leadership of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the center seeks to restructure its management of planetary missions.
Psyche mission clears review
A NASA mission to a metallic asteroid has passed a major review, but questions remain about its ability to remain on budget and schedule.
Apollo Fusion obtains Hall thruster technology from JPL
Satellite electric propulsion startup Apollo Fusion is expanding its product line through an agreement with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, giving it access to advanced Hall thruster technology.
NASA making renewed efforts to contact Mars rover Opportunity
NASA is making a new, and perhaps final, attempt to restore contact with the Mars rover Opportunity, which has not communicated with the Earth for more than six months.
JPL is still at work, for now
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory may have to consider furloughing employees if the government shutdown lasts much longer.
InSight successfully lands on Mars
NASA’s InSight spacecraft successfully landed on Mars Nov. 26, completing a journey of nearly 500 million kilometers and starting a mission to study the planet’s interior.
NASA to soon start 45-day campaign to revive the Opportunity Mars rover
NASA plans to soon start a 45-day effort to restore communication with the Mars rover Opportunity, a timeframe that has elicited criticism from those both within and outside the project.
NASA to begin buying rides on commercial lunar landers by year’s end
PASADENA — NASA intends to begin buying rides on small commercial lunar landers by the end of the year and start look…
Dawn to fly closer to Ceres than ever in mission’s final phase
NASA’s Dawn mission to the main asteroid belt, granted a second extended mission earlier this year, will end later next year after a final set of close-up observations of the dwarf planet Ceres.
JPL moves ahead with Mars and Europa missions despite funding uncertainty
The director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said his center is pressing ahead with work on current and proposed missions to Mars and Europa despite ongoing debates on Capitol Hill about funding some of those missions.
