UPDATE: Juno has successfully entered orbit around Jupiter, in one of the riskiest manoeuvres of its mission. The NASA spacecraft Juno will now re-orient itself, so that its solar panels face towards the sun to provide power for the rest of the mission.
“You’re the best team ever! We just did the hardest thing Nasa has ever done,” Juno mission leader Scott Bolton told his team.
We will bring you a full report of the remarkable achievement shortly. Meanwhile read our backgrounder to the mission, Juno’s epic journey to probe Jupiter’s secrets.
After nearly five years travelling through space, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will arrive in orbit around Jupiter on 4 July, 2016 (PDT).
In this Juno-eye view, Jupiter is visible along with the four Galilean moons: Callisto, Ganymede, Europa and Io. The images were taken prior to 30 June 2016, when the JunoCam camera and science instruments were turned off to prepare the spacecraft for its daring orbit insertion manoeuvre into the gas giant’s orbit.
Stay tuned for coverage of the arrival later today.
