NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Powering the next giant leap. A novel electromagnetic thruster that runs on lithium metal vapor was successfully fired up for the first time during initial tests at JPL. The prototype achieved power levels more than 25 times that of the highest-power electric thrusters on any current NASA spacecraft. Fully developed and paired with a nuclear power source, lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters could reduce launch mass and support payloads required for human Mars missions. The MPD thruster work, in development for the past 2½ years, is led by JPL in collaboration with Princeton University and NASA Glenn Research Center. It is funded by NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project, based at the agency’s NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, under the Space Technology Mission Directorate. More on the test: https://lnkd.in/g3VY4R5X

From launch to splashdown, JPL is proud to have supported the agency’s historic Artemis II mission alongside colleagues across the country and around the world. Our dedicated teams have helped support astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen as they’ve Dared Mighty Things over the past 10 days. Along with our Deep Space Network (DSN) team at ground stations at Canberra, Australia; Madrid, Spain; and Goldstone, California, we’ve kept the crew connected with Earth as they travel around the Moon. A special thank you to our colleagues at NASA’s Near Space Network and the agency’s Space Communications and Navigation Program for seamless coordination and collaboration across NASA’s networks. The DSN also conducted a bi-static radar experiment, transmitting radio signals from Deep Space Station 13 in Goldstone while the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia received the reflected signals. This experimental radar helped provide precision tracking of the Orion capsule. This interagency collaboration with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory demonstrates the power of partnership in advancing deep space capabilities. While the DSN steadfastly supported Artemis II with radio frequency communications and tracking, our optical communications experts helped support the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Optical-to-Orion (O2O) project. At JPL’s Table Mountain Facility, engineers of the Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) used the uplink laser and a sensitive downlink detector to support O2O throughout the mission, exchanging gigabits of video, telemetry, and other data with the Orion spacecraft. We look forward to continued collaboration as we drive toward a sustained human presence at the Moon!

What’s up for April? ☄️ Don’t miss Mercury at its brightest for the year, the Lyrid meteor shower, and your best chance to see comet c/2025 R3! 

How is the Perseverance rover helping keep the Artemis II crew safe? As they journey outside Earth’s protective magnetic field on their way to the Moon, NASA’s Artemis II crew will be subject to potentially dangerous particles from solar flares. Artemis mission planners will keep a close eye on solar activity before and during the flight, and now they have a vantage point that Apollo missions didn’t — Mars. The Perseverance rover is watching sunspot activity from the surface of the Red Planet, which is currently on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth. Having this additional eye on the Sun could mean up to 2 weeks’ advance notice of solar storm activity. Learn more: go.nasa.gov/4rvmclj  

The deadline is approaching to apply for NASA’s 38th annual Planetary Science Summer School program, a three-month-long career development program for doctoral students, recent Ph.D.s, postdocs, and junior faculty who have a strong interest in science-driven robotic space exploration missions. Participants learn the process of developing a hypothesis-driven robotic space mission in a concurrent engineering environment while getting an in-depth, first-hand look at mission design, life cycle, costs, schedule and the trade-offs inherent in each. View details and eligibility requirements, and submit your application by March 23: https://lnkd.in/eRiabxGC

The JPL Additive Compliant Canister, or JACC, has given us a reason to “spring” forward a little early! Printed out of titanium, JACC uses three times fewer parts than similar structures and demonstrates the potential for 3D-printed mechanisms for future space antennas. JACC deployed on a small commercial spacecraft, Proteus Space’s Mercury One on Feb. 3, 2026.  Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e6s2wRue 

How much do rivers rise and fall during the year? The SWOT satellite tracked rivers swelling and shrinking over the course of a year. The data show that the seasonal swing may be about 28% less than previous model-based estimates. “We’re starting to untangle some of the really tough questions SWOT was built for. This is just the beginning.” – Cedric David, SWOT research team lead SWOT was jointly developed by NASA and Centre National d'Études Spatiales, with contributions from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency | Agence spatiale canadienne), and the UK Space Agency. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g9ZX42MY

What’s up for March? 🔭 A total lunar eclipse takes center stage, Venus and Saturn cozy up for a conjunction and we celebrate the vernal equinox. Get more skywatching tips: https://lnkd.in/dUttmZn8 

How do real NASA missions inspire and inform science fiction? We got to find out! The team behind “Project Hail Mary” reached out to NASA as they worked to bring author Andy Weir’s novel to the big screen – and yesterday, actors Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and Weir visited JPL to talk about their experience making the movie and the collaboration between scientists and creative media. Also joining the discussion was NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren who, during filming, shared insights with Gosling on the awesome (and tough) realities of human spaceflight, like adjusting to microgravity.

There’s no GPS at the Red Planet, but a new technology developed at JPL now lets the Perseverance rover determine precisely where it is – without human help. Called Mars Global Localization, it’s made possible by tapping into a commercial processor originally used to communicate with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. Running on this powerful processor is an onboard algorithm that rapidly compares panoramic images from the rover’s navigation cameras with orbital terrain maps to pinpoint the rover’s location within some 10 inches (25 cm). “We’ve given the rover a new ability,” said Jeremy Nash, a JPL robotics engineer who led the team working on the project. “This has been an open problem in robotics research for decades, and it’s been super exciting to deploy this solution in space for the first time.” 🔗 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gPSywK6h