Management of the JPL Contract
To: The Caltech and JPL Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum, Caltech President
Dave Gallagher, Vice President and JPL Director
Date: May 22, 2026
Re: Management of the JPL Contract
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was founded by Caltech researchers in 1936. Since 1958, when NASA was established, Caltech has managed the Lab for the space agency through a contractual relationship that has been regularly reviewed and renewed.
NASA announced today that they will compete the contract for operating JPL, with Caltech's current agreement ending on Sept. 30, 2028. We have been in discussions with the agency about their intent to compete the contract and welcome a fair and open competition. This announcement comes as no surprise. Caltech is well prepared with a team established last summer to ensure we are positioned for success, and we will respond to the request for proposal (RFP) once released.
Leading up to this decision, NASA conducted market research (via a Sources Sought Notice) and subsequently held an Industry Engagement Day in July 2025, both to gather intent from other parties to compete, and to ensure that offers are sought from as many sources as practicable in order to obtain the best value for taxpayers. Each step is part of a typical government procurement process, reflecting NASA's commitment to the American people to secure the best capabilities, innovation, and mission performance for American space exploration.
Caltech shares a commitment to both ensure that the talent, resources, and capabilities cultivated at JPL are well administered and stewarded for the benefit of the nation, and that taxpayer funds are judiciously and responsibly managed. Over the course of our nearly seven-decade-long partnership with NASA, Caltech and JPL have led humanity's exploration and understanding of the universe — and our place within it. This partnership has produced extraordinary, first-of-their-kind achievements: the first rovers to traverse the surface of Mars, the first U.S. soft landing on the Moon that paved the way for the Apollo astronauts and laid the ground for the first human landing on the Moon, and the first (and only) spacecraft to enter interstellar space. The ambitions ahead — no less bold than those we have already realized — are ones we are fully prepared to meet.
We have and will continue to evolve and take the necessary steps to ensure the Laboratory remains the nation's premier center for the robotic exploration of the universe. Such efforts are exemplified in the work we have done over the last year to significantly enhance JPL's operations, including a large-scale restructuring, cost-reduction initiatives, and a new contracting mechanism to quickly scale reimbursable and philanthropic work. These changes position JPL to thrive in the current environment and advance inspiring work aligned with NASA's ambitions, including support of the human spaceflight program and critical contributions to U.S. national security.
Along with our other critical work, several exciting launches are approaching in the near-term, with as many as five in 2028 (FALCON, EAGLE, SkyFall, MoonFall, and GRACE-C). Caltech and JPL remain focused on successfully delivering these missions.
The talent, creativity, and drive of the JPL community are what have made the Lab world-renowned for nearly 90 years, and this community will continue to fuel its success far into the future. Thank you for your unparalleled work that inspires the world, accelerates U.S. industry, and benefits humanity as a whole.
We will continue to communicate with you as this process progresses.