Person · Los Angeles, CA
Frank W. Maiwald
- Who: German-born JPL engineer who built terahertz receivers and multiplier chains for Herschel, Juno, Sentinel-6 and the Space Force-funded COWVR radiometer.
- What happened: he died in Los Angeles on 4 Jul 2024, aged 61. No cause has been published, which is normal for a private death.
- The list: right that he was a real JPL engineer, wrong on the March 2026 date and on the radar and planetary-defense labels.
JPL RF and terahertz engineer. German-born JPL engineer who built terahertz frequency-multiplier chains for Herschel HIFI and receivers for Juno, Sentinel-6 and the Space Force-funded COWVR radiometer. He died in Los Angeles on 4 Jul 2024, aged 61. No cause has been published. The list's March 2026 date and radar and planetary-defense labels have no support.
On the record
- Died 4 Jul 2024.
- List check (Igor's list and the press lists): partly right. Real JPL engineer, but he died 4 Jul 2024, not March 2026. Not radar, not planetary defense.
- As the list had it: "Senior Radar Engineer, NASA JPL. Deceased (March 2026). Specialized in deep-space instrument radar technology, planetary defense, and RF systems."
- Cause or status, as sourced: Not made public by any official source. Obituary says only that he "passed away". Natural causes: proposed, not demonstrated (Open.online fact-check, no source given).
- Died 4 Jul 2024 in Los Angeles, aged 61. Born 24 Jun 1964, Ratingen.
- Dozens of JPL papers on THz multipliers, radiometers and spectrometers, 2000 to 2020s.
- COWVR was funded by the USAF SMC Weather Directorate / Space Force and built at JPL.
- Named in expanded lists in Apr 2026; described as about 25 years at JPL.
- NASA: it is "coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies".
- No published cause of death. That is normal for a private death and is not counted against anyone.
Claims (5)
He died under unknown circumstances; authorities stayed silent and only one obituary exists.analysisSourced, unconfirmed
He was "awarded the JPL Principal".secondhandSourced, unconfirmed
He died of natural causes.secondhandSourced, unconfirmed
He was a deep-space radar and planetary-defense specialist.speculationSourced, unconfirmed
He was part of a warp-assisted hypersonics team with Reza and Loureiro.speculationSourced, unconfirmed
Connected
Astronomy, dark matter and planetary defense fieldRF, terahertz sensors and radiometers fieldNASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory orgNASA orgRiverside Research orgUnited States Air Force orgDr. Carl J. Grillmair personDr. Michael David Hicks personMonica Jacinto Reza personMaj. Gen. William "Neil" McCasland personDr. Sergey O. Macheret person