Research Laboratory
A laboratory that designs, builds, and operates spacecraft and instruments, often as a federally-funded centre managed for an agency by a university. JPL and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory have built many of the great robotic missions.
In brief
A laboratory that builds and operates spacecraft and instruments.
Institutions of this type
- Laurel, Maryland, USA
A university-affiliated research laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, that designs, builds, and operates robotic spacecraft. APL built New Horizons, MESSENGER, the Parker Solar Probe, and the DART planetary-defence mission.
Knowledge connections
- Group includesJohns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- Group includesNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.