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JPL pushes the boundaries of technology.

We invent it here. We deliver worldwide.

JPL designs, invents, and builds instruments to study Earth – and sometimes, we push the boundaries so far that our inventions end up being used in many unexpected ways.

JPL planes and satellites in silhouette

Did you know ...

JPL’s innovations don’t just stay at JPL. We work with universities, industries, and governments to transfer knowledge and help everyone infuse our latest advancements into their products.

JPL's Leading technologies

JPL’s innovations shine in these heavyweight areas of Earth exploration from space.

  • satellite flying over Earth, capturing data
    Imaging Spectrometers

    These are similar to cameras, but are not limited to visible light a human eye can see. They also measure how much light shines in separate wavelengths, which can identify different gases in the air, and minerals on the surface. Applications: Climate; Greenhouse Gases; Air Pollution; Mineralogy

  • satellite with antenna flying over Earth
    Radar

    In 1978, JPL harnessed radio waves to create the first radar satellite to study Earth. Since then, JPL has continuously improved the accuracy and applications of its radar instruments. Today, radars are used to measure ocean winds, clouds and precipitation, earthquakes and landslides, sea ice, forests, and more. Applications: Sea Level; Biodiversity; Disasters; Freshwater

  • two satellites flying over Earth with a light beam in between them
    Gravimetry

    Back in the 1960s, when JPL’s Moon missions kept crashing, scientists and engineers eventually discovered the cause: different parts of the Moon have slightly different gravitational pulls. These variations were tugging on the spacecraft in ways no one had accounted for. That insight led to a new realization: Earth has similar gravity differences, with areas like mountains exerting more gravity than low-lying regions like valleys. Persisting through decades of innovation, JPL eventually developed the first satellite instrument capable of measuring variations of Earth’s gravity from space. These instruments have since found powerful applications in studying freshwater, ice sheets, and oceans around the globe. Applications: Freshwater; Sea Level

  • A person in a white suit working on a satellite in a clean room
    Radiometers

    Starting in the 1960s, JPL developed radiometers that primarily use microwave signals. These instruments are highly skilled at detecting temperature and humidity, soil moisture, wind, and clouds. Applications: Disasters; Biodiversity

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