NASA has awarded a contract to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to continue operation of the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. The cost plus fixed-fee, indefinite delivery, and indefinite quantity contract has a maximum value of $30 billion. The contract will begin October 1. A five-year base period of performance will be followed by five one-year options that could extend the contract to Sept. 30, 2028.

Within the provisions of the contract, Caltech will continue to develop and sustain core competencies in support of NASA-sponsored work throughout various areas of study. These areas include Earth and planetary sciences, heliophysics, astrophysics, aeronautics and space activities, and the development of spacecraft and instruments. Additionally, Caltech will manage NASA-sponsored programs that conduct peer-reviewed research, NASA partnerships with other government agencies, the private sector and academia, as well as the research, operation, and management of NASA’s Deep Space Network.