NASA's Juno Spacecraft Successfully Reaches The Mighty Jupiter

NASA's Juno spacecraft is finally at the giant planet after a five-year journey to the solar system. It entered Jupiter's orbit during a 35-minute engine burn, this was received on the planet Earth at 8:53 P.M., July 4, according to NASA.

NASA administrator Charlie Bolden stated that Independence Day always is something to celebrate, but today they can add to America's birthday another reason to cheer-Juno is at Jupiter. He further said that with Juno they could investigate the unknowns of Jupiter's massive radiation belts to delve into not only the planet's interior but into how Jupiter was born and how our entire system evolved.

Meanwhile, the Juno team applauded and hugged. They celebrated at Mission Control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, as reported by CNN.

Geoff Yoder, the acting administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate described it as phenomenal. "NASA did it again," said Scott Bolton, the Juno principal investigator.

Juno's mission is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. It will examine the existence of a solid planetary core, calculate the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field and observe the planet's auroras using the nine science instruments. It also aims to understand how giant planets form and the role of these titans acted in putting together the rest of the solar system. Jupiter can also provide analytical knowledge for understanding the planetary systems being discovered around other stars.

Meanwhile, a team of Harris Corporation employees reinforced NASA with critical communications and monitoring connectivity with the Juno spacecraft. Harris Corporation provides for the Deep Space Network (DSN) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA. The DSN delivers connectivity with the spacecraft and the instruments that collect scientific data it gathers.

Carl D'Alessandro, president, Harris Critical Network said that Harris and the DSN have been preparing for Jupiter Orbit Insertion for well over a year to ensure the success of this mission. He further said that Harris has supported most major U.S. space programs since the 1960s. He added that today, they will continue to supply the next-generation technologies and services that are helping NASA better understand the planet, the solar system and what lies beyond.