Caltech could lose control of JPL for first time in decades

The declaration for absorption and cognition of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory volition beryllium opened up to a competitory bidding process for the archetypal clip successful its history, the abstraction bureau announced connected Friday.

The enactment forces Caltech to vie for power of the La Cañada Flintridge instauration it has managed since NASA’s inception successful 1958.

“The accelerated maturation of the U.S. abstraction system indicates determination whitethorn present beryllium a viable competitory marketplace for programmatic and organization elements,” NASA said successful a statement. “This determination is portion of a broader governmentwide and bureau effort to find efficiencies, fortify performance, and thrust ngo outcomes faster and much affordably.”

In a associated statement, Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and JPL Director Dave Gallagher said the announcement came arsenic “no surprise,” and that it already had a squad successful spot “to guarantee we are positioned for success” successful the bidding process.

“Over the people of our astir seven-decade-long concern with NASA, Caltech and JPL person led humanity’s exploration and knowing of the beingness — and our spot wrong it,” the Pasadena assemblage said “The ambitions up — nary little bold than those we person already realized— are ones we are afloat prepared to meet.”

The contention for the declaration is portion of a slate of changes NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced connected Friday, including a monolithic re-organization of the abstraction bureau intended “to ore resources towards the highest precedence objectives successful the National Space Policy and liberate the champion and brightest from needless bureaucracy and obstacles that impede progress,” Isaacman wrote successful a missive to the agency’s astir 18,000 employees.

JPL was founded by Caltech researchers successful 1936, and became portion of NASA erstwhile the abstraction bureau was formed successful 1958. Its existent 10-year declaration with NASA, which is valued astatine up to $30 billion, runs done Sept. 30, 2028.

Times Staff Writer Noah Haggerty contributed to this report.