NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Explainers

Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, from DEPLOY’s explainer library. Each is written in the language of the question and cross-checked against this registry.

• What are the NASA JPL Mars rovers?

  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) operates Mars rovers including Curiosity (landed August 2012, still operating) and Perseverance (landed February 2021, still operating). Both are autonomous-capable planetary rovers with documented autonomy upgrades over their mission lifetimes. They anchor the verified-at-scale planetary rover position in the autonomous space systems cohort.

• What is autonomous space systems?

  Autonomous space systems is a cohort of robotic platforms whose primary feature is autonomy in space operations: lunar landers, planetary rovers, orbital servicing satellites, station robotics, and crew + cargo autonomy. The verified-vs-claimed angle is unusually strong: honest mission outcomes anchor the editorial substance. Five lunar landings in 2023-2025 produced one full success, two partial successes, and two failures.

Safety record

No incidents on record for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Peer companies

• Impulse Space6 models
• Astrobotic Technology3 models
• China National Space Administration3 models
• Astroscale2 models
• China Manned Space Agency2 models
• GITAI2 models

Financial state

Reporting basis

private_reported

Lifecycle stage

growth

Counterparty risk class

moderate

Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

• Verified media added✓VerifiedJun 11, 2026

  NASA's Mars Curiosity rover shows journey across Gale Crater

• Verified media added✓VerifiedJun 7, 2026

  Curiosity Has Landed

• Verified media added✓VerifiedJun 6, 2026

  NASA Perseverance self-driving on Mars

• Record createdJun 5, 2026

  Added to the verified registry

• Deployment verified✓VerifiedFeb 18, 2021

  Perseverance Rover at Mars

Full change history →

Sources (1)

1. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ ↗

Common questions

What is NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory?

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory — federally funded research and development center operated by Caltech. Designs and operates robotic planetary exploration missions including Mars rovers (Perseverance, Curiosity), Lunar rovers (CADRE mission 2026), and deep space probes.

What does NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory make?

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory has 2 robot models on the DEPLOY registry: Curiosity Rover, Perseverance Rover (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory builds physical robots).

Who competes with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory?

On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory building in the same form factors include Impulse Space, Astrobotic Technology, China National Space Administration, Astroscale.

Where is NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory headquartered?

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is headquartered in Pasadena, California, USA.

Where does NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory operate robots?

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.