At Astrotech’s Hazardous Processing Facility in Titusville, Florida, NASA’s Juno spacecraft is secured to a fueling stand where the spacecraft was loaded with the propellant necessary for orbit maneuvers and the attitude control system. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., August 5th. Photo credit: NASA/Troy Cryder
NASA’s Juno mission to giant planet Jupiter is now in final preparation for its departure.
The launch of the Lockheed Martin-built Juno aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket is on track for an August 5th takeoff from Florida.
After launch, the spacecraft will begin a five-year cruise to Jupiter, arriving July 2016.
The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter’s poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core.
At the Astrotech payload processing facility near Kennedy Space Center, Juno has been loaded with its complement of fuel and oxidizer propellants. Spin testing was conducted on July 12-13.
Moreover, at Launch Complex 41, power-on testing for the fully integrated Atlas V launch vehicle began on July 5.
Last-minute glitch
On July 15, NASA announced a possible anomaly with two redundant Flux Gate Magnetometer instruments that will measure Jupiter’s powerful magnetic environment. Lab testing of heaters similar to ones on Juno, designed to keep the instruments warm in space, indicated a small probability that wire connections may not operate.
However, according to a spokesperson close to the Juno project contacted by this Coalition reporter, everything is still on track. No last-minute repairs were required. Inspection of the heater connections revealed that they were fine.
Furthermore, prep teams were pushing forward today on encapsulation of Juno within the craft’s payload fairing.
Following encapsulation, Juno then will be transported to the launch pad and attached to the rocket on July 26. The launch of Juno aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket continues to be scheduled for August 5 at 11:34 a.m. EDT
By Leonard David
