Now en route to Jupiter, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has begun its five-year cruise to the giant planet.
Juno roared off into Florida skies on Friday, August 5th. Engineers report they have received communications from the spacecraft, and its trio of large solar arrays have deployed.
Juno’s detailed study of the largest planet in our solar system will help reveal Jupiter’s origin and evolution. As the archetype of giant gas planets, Jupiter can help scientists understand the origin of our solar system and learn more about planetary systems around other stars.
Juno has already covered the distance from Earth to the moon (about 250,000 miles or 402,336 kilometers) in less than one day’s time.
Juno is set for arrival at Jupiter in July 2016. The spacecraft will orbit the massive planet for about one year (33 orbits) and will end with de-orbit into the gaseous world.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the Juno spacecraft.
By Leonard David
Note: Photo Credit: An Atlas V rocket launches with the Juno spacecraft payload from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Friday, August 5, 2011. Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls