#JPL

All articles tagged with "JPL"

NASA to Open JPL Management Contract to Competition for the First Time in Decades

NASA says it will compete the next Jet Propulsion Laboratory management contract, ending a long run of sole-source awards to Caltech and opening the door to alternative operating models.

Key Takeaways

NASA plans to compete the next contract for managing and operating JPL.
Caltech has managed the lab since the 1930s and has long received sole-source awards.

DT Editorial Team·May 22, 2026·via nasa.gov

NASA’s Curiosity rover freed its drill after a Martian rock jammed the arm

NASA engineers solved an unusual problem on Mars after Curiosity drilled into a small rock that became stuck to the rover’s arm during sample collection.

Key Takeaways

Curiosity’s drill became jammed when a rock stayed attached after drilling.
NASA engineers tried multiple approaches before freeing it on May 1.

DT Editorial Team·May 11, 2026·via universetoday.com

NASA-backed Mars helicopter concept pushes rotor speeds past Mach 1

A new rotor blade design tested by engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory could let future Mars helicopters survive tip speeds around Mach 1.08 and generate roughly 30 percent more lift.

Key Takeaways

NASA JPL engineers reportedly validated a higher-speed Mars rotor design.
The blade could survive tip speeds around Mach 1.08.

DT Editorial Team·May 8, 2026·via interestingengineering.com

NASA Powers Down Voyager 1 Particle Instrument to Preserve the Mission

NASA engineers shut down Voyager 1’s Low-energy Charged Particles experiment after a power drop, preserving enough energy to keep the nearly 49-year-old interstellar spacecraft operating longer.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 21, 2026·via futurism.com

Space

NASA says the Deep Space Network has taken over Artemis II communications after launch, marking the first time in more than half a century that the network has communicated with a crewed spacecraft traveling through deep

DT Editorial Team·Apr 9, 2026·via science.nasa.gov

#JPL

NASA to Open JPL Management Contract to Competition for the First Time in Decades

NASA’s Curiosity rover freed its drill after a Martian rock jammed the arm

NASA-backed Mars helicopter concept pushes rotor speeds past Mach 1

NASA Powers Down Voyager 1 Particle Instrument to Preserve the Mission

NASA to Open JPL Management Contract to Competition for the First Time in Decades

NASA’s Curiosity rover freed its drill after a Martian rock jammed the arm

NASA-backed Mars helicopter concept pushes rotor speeds past Mach 1

NASA Powers Down Voyager 1 Particle Instrument to Preserve the Mission

Artemis II Marks Deep Space Network’s First Crewed Deep-Space Link In More Than 50 Years