[SETI Institute] The Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), one of NASA’s flagship astrobiology research teams, has officially moved its institutional home to the SETI Institute. In 2026 the VPL will also […]
JPL
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: NASA’s Next-Gen Space Processor Undergoes Testing
Editor’s note: for more than half a century we have been learning how to use the viewpoint from space to study our home world. The instruments we have developed often […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Detecting Fundamental Chiral Biosignatures in the Ultraviolet Polarization Spectrum
Chiral molecules are ubiquitous and necessary for life as we know it. In extant life, the amino acid and sugar constituents of proteins and biopolymers consist of only one enantiomer.
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Stellar Cartography
Interstellar Spacecraft Voyager 1 Instrument Shut Down to Assure Continued Mission Operations
On April 17 2026, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Astrochemistry Update: SPHEREx Maps Vast Galactic Ice Regions
NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) mission has mapped interstellar ice at an unprecedented scale.
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center For Future Missions
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California has inaugurated its Rover Operations Center (ROC), a center of excellence for current and future surface missions to the Moon and Mars. During […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
NASA Tests Future Mars Droids In Death Valley
Next-generation drone flight software is just one of 25 technologies for the Red Planet that the space agency funded for development this year.
Posted inMissions & Hardware, NASA Astrobiology Program, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report
NASA JPL Layoffs Announced
Editor’s note: A message from JPL Director Dave Gallagher announced a JPL layoff of 550 people.
Posted inExploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Skyfall: Future Concept Next-Gen Mars Helicopters for Exploration and Human Landing Preparation
Today, AeroVironment, Inc. (“AV”) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain autonomous systems, revealed Skyfall—a potential future mission concept for next-generation Mars Helicopters developed with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory […]
Posted inInterstellar, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Voyager 1 Interstellar Probe Revives Backup Thrusters Before Command Pause
Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California have revived a set of thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft that had been considered inoperable since 2004. Fixing the thrusters […]