The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), is a federally-funded research and development center operating under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). As NASA's lead center for deep-space exploration, JPL is responsible for unmanned planetary missions for the United States. JPL's contributions to the exploration of the solar system include participation in Earth-orbital projects and experiments, as well as studies of stellar systems and extra-solar-system bodies. Other sponsors for whom JPL performs work include the Department of Defense (DOD), Federal Avaiation Advministration (FAA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).