About

Exploration, on Earth, throughout the Solar System, and of the Universe, is central to the ambitions of both Caltech and JPL. Caltech is an institution devoted to fundamental research and education and manages JPL, a unique federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) for NASA at the forefront of technology and innovative space mission development. The history of collaboration between Caltech and JPL has enabled bold, ambitious ventures pushing the boundaries of science. The seeds of this partnership began in the 1930s and led to the launch of the Explorer 1 satellite in early 1958 (before the founding of NASA) which started the U.S. space program and was the first science experiment in space.

Over nearly a century, Caltech and JPL have developed a world-renowned and groundbreaking exploration paradigm that has advanced our scientific understanding of Earth and beyond, and changed humanity's view of itself and its place in the universe. Today, the same paradigm that has fueled so many decades of success operates in a new space ecosystem. Among notable recent changes is the dramatic reduction of costs and increased cadence of launches enabled by the commercial space industry. Many new entrants embrace greater risk - enabling shortened technology development timescales with rapid iteration toward eventual success.

We aim to harness these new approaches for both transformative scientific exploration and the rapid adoption and demonstration of new technologies. We believe this opportunity applies to all remote exploration be it on Earth, near-Earth, and in deep space environments. Building on our rich history of collaboration, Caltech and JPL aim to realize the potential of a new age of exploration for the benefit of science and society through The Brinson Exploration Hub. The Brinson Exploration Hub was formulated in 2023 and inaugurated in early 2024.

We are deeply grateful to The Brinson Foundation for their generosity as well as the confidence they have placed in Caltech and JPL.