NASA is opening up bids for who will run the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Key points

• NASA is opening up bids for who will run the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) once the contract with Caltech expires in 2028. This is a pretty big deal, as Caltech has run the program since its founding in 1936. The JPL actually predates NASA by over two decades.
• This doesn't mean that Caltech is getting shut out.
• It just means that NASA is looking into other options.
• The agency issued a notice to solicit responses from any interested parties, as "the rapid growth of the US space economy indicates there may now be a viable competitive market." NASA says "conducting a competition for this contract" will enable the agency to "assess the potential benefits of alternative management approaches." This includes "opportunities to enhance mission performance, innovation and overall cost and operational efficiency." It also said this is part of a "broader governmentwide and agency effort to find efficiencies." The Trump...