▮ Services. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Research and development center and NASA field center in California, US The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in La Cañada Flintridge, California,[1] United States, though it is often referred to as residing in Pasadena, California because it has a Pasadena ZIP Code. Founded in the 1930s, the JPL is currently owned by NASA and managed by the nearby California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for NASA.[2] The laboratory's primary function is the construction and operation of planetary robotic spacecraft, though it also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions.
It is also responsible for operating NASA's Deep Space Network. The JPL's Space Flight Operations Facility and Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator are designated National Historic Landmarks. History[edit] During JPL's Army years, the laboratory developed two deployed weapon systems, the MGM-5 Corporal and MGM-29 Sergeant intermediate-range ballistic missiles. ⬛ NASA.