The GLASS field camp on the Antarctic ice sheet

Driving exploration forward.

The Brinson Exploration Hub was launched in 2024 as a collaborative effort between the California Institute of Technology [Caltech] and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL] to match the rapidly changing landscape for science, especially in space. We are an implementation organization embracing fresh approaches to deploying projects that realize a new age of exploration on Earth, near-Earth, or in deep-space.

  • Wide view of the GLASS field camp at Constellation Inlet, with tents and equipment spread across the snow.
  • Patrick Phelps and Iona Tirona guide the yellow IceNode into a large outdoor test tank.
  • Several team members surround and guide STABLE as it is suspended from an overhead crane.
  • Two researchers kneel beside the ground-penetrating radar sled, built on large black inner tubes, on the Antarctic ice.
  • IceNode stands vertically underwater in the test tank, illuminated by green-blue light during nighttime testing.
  • STABLE hangs from an overhead crane as team members guide it into the High Bay.
  • A snowmobile tows a sled carrying equipment used to deploy fiber-optic cable across the Antarctic ice.
  • SURGE team members work around a table covered with tools, components, and equipment in the lab.
  • Two team members inspect STABLE’s circular support structure and internal components before load-in.
[GLASS]
[Projects]

Current Projects

Brinson Exploration Hub is an implementation organization with a focus on deploying Projects in the field, whether on Earth or in space, that return science.

Explore Projects
A snowmobile tows a sled carrying equipment used to deploy fiber-optic cable across the Antarctic ice.
[Field notes]

Projects in the Field

Team members on deployed projects record field notes from their expedition location.

Read Field Notes
A National Geographic Society banner suspended from a high-altitude balloon above mountainous terrain
[Activities]

Our Activities

The Brinson Exploration Hub supports collaborative Activities to foster closer collaboration between Campus, Lab, and external organizations.

Learn More
VIEW ALL
PROJECTSFIELD NOTESACTIVITIES

Our pillars

  • Implement breakthrough exploration projects that drive scientific and societal benefit.

Wide view of the GLASS field camp at Constellation Inlet, with tents and equipment spread across the snow.

GetInvolved

info@brinsonhub.caltech.edu

We’d love to connect with you.

Please reach out to discuss project partnerships, sponsorship and participation opportunities, or other strategic collaborations with the Brinson Exploration Hub.