NASA Jet Propulsion Lab opens doors after LA fires, helps firefighter helicopters refuel

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) began resuming normal operations this week after major wildfires that have been causing widespread devastation across Southern California since early January forced its closure.

JPL, which runs many of NASA's high-profile robotic missions, is located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of L.A. and was shuttered a day after the Eaton Fire ignited near the Altadena community on Jan. 7. The fire raged very close to the agency's campus. Firefighters kept the deadly flames from reaching the historic lab, but it remained closed except for a small number of essential personnel. That left the mission control center for the Deep Space Network (DSN) empty for the first time since it opened 60 years ago.

The lab fully opened to all employees again starting on Monday (Jan. 27) following "repairs, cleanup and extensive safety monitoring," according to the JPL emergency information site.

Throughout the firefighting efforts in the area, JPL made its helicopter emergency landing facility available to support firefighting helicopters protecting the surrounding neighborhoods, Veronica McGregor, who is the media relations manager at JPL, recently told Space.com via email.

"While it was too windy for the helicopters on the first day of the fire, the site has been used extensively for refilling helicopters in the days since then," she wrote. "We will continue to provide any assistance we can to local agencies."

The DSN operations, which had been temporarily relocated to a backup operations center at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, ensured that no science data from the more than 40 missions it manages was lost during the fire threat. These operations, too, have since returned to JPL and are now running normally, McGregor said.

"During the fire, JPL facilities, labs and hardware were secured and protected," she added.

As of Tuesday (Jan. 28), the wind-driven Eaton Fire has scorched over 14,000 acres and remains 99 percent contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).

The L.A. fires have killed nearly 30 people and left tens of thousands more without homes, including more than 200 JPL employees who lived in Altadena. "Our immediate concerns are with our neighboring communities and our employees," McGregor said.

Over 100 additional others, including JPL director Laurie Leshin, are displaced long term after their houses and neighborhoods were reduced to rubble, Eos reported.

"For people whose houses are lost, who don't have lots of other places to go, they can come to the lab," Leshin told Eos. "I have to tell you, I did it myself last week, and being in a familiar environment felt really good. I think there is something about being grounded in a routine that is really helpful at this time."

A dedicated team at JPL has been providing employees with support throughout, including a disaster relief fund it started in partnership with Caltech, which has raised over $2 million for staff and students affected by the fires.

"The response has been overwhelming," Whitney Haggins, a JPL employee who lost her home in the Eaton Fire, told ABC news. "I can say the JPL family is really taking care of us and trying to do whatever they can to assist."

"I know I have the love and support of so many people, so that will help sustain me," she added. "I will rebuild. I will be back here."

Even as JPL remained closed due to the fire threat, its workforce continued to gear up for a busy year with two missions that could launch as soon as February — the sky-mapping SPHEREx space observatory and the Lunar Trailblazer satellite designed to hunt for water on the moon's surface.

Looking ahead, the U.S.-India NISAR satellite, whose U.S. component is led by JPL is scheduled to lift off in March to study Earth's surface and its changes, followed by the Sentinel-6B satellite launch aimed at monitoring sea level rise as well as an experiment onboard the International Space Station later in the year.

"We're really grateful for the space community and their care at this challenging time," Leshin told the Los Angeles Times. "But exploration continues, so we will be back."