Techer Live: JPL at 90: Caltech, JPL and What's Next

In 1936, a small group of Caltech students and self-taught rocketeers tested a rocket motor in the Arroyo Seco. Ninety years later, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech manages for NASA, has sent spacecraft to every planet in the solar system.

In this Techer Live conversation, recorded during Alumni Weekend, three people whose careers span the Lab’s history discuss how the partnership between campus and Lab turns scientific questions into missions. They cover the early days in the Arroyo, Mars landings, AI in space exploration, and how new technology makes it onto a mission.

-

Panelists

Charles Elachi (MS ‘69, PhD ‘71): professor of electrical engineering and planetary science, emeritus, Caltech; JPL director from 2001 to 2016; 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient

Nagin Cox: senior systems engineer, JPL, with roles on missions from Galileo to Perseverance and Europa Clipper

Shouleh Nikzad (MS ‘84, PhD ‘90): chief technologist, JPL; senior faculty associate in physics, Caltech; 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient

Moderator

Casey Dreier: chief of space policy, The Planetary Society

-

Recorded October 17, 2026, in Ramo Auditorium at Caltech.

Produced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies.

©2026 California Institute of Technology