Juno will arrive at Jupiter in July 2016. The Jupiter Orbital Insertion maneuver will result in a highly elliptical polar orbit with the periapsis in the equatorial plane of Jupiter. The orbit will allow Juno to skim the upper atmosphere below the radiation belt.
Juno launch is scheduled for August 5, 2011. A deep space maneuver will change the trajectory of the spacecraft which will perform a gravity assist maneuver in October 2013. The maneuver will provide the energy increase that will allow Juno to reach Jupiter\’s orbit.
United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 is the launch vehicle that will place Juno on its trajectory to Jupiter. Atlas V 551 is the most powerful Atlas rocket ever built.
Juno leaves Earth in August 2011. After two years it will swing by Earth and get the boost in velocity required to travel all the way to Jupiter.
Juno spacecraft is not powered by a RTG, but takes advantage of the advances in the solar power cell technology. Juno is powered by three solar panels that extend more than ten meters from the body of the spacecraft.
Mars Science Laboratory (a.k.a. Curiosity) will land inside the Gale Crater. The Mars explorer is scheduled to launch late this year and land in August 2012. The crater is named for Australian astronomer Walter F. Gale.
Read more about Mars Science Laboratory…
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