New Delhi: NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft in on the way to reach its final destination - Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system.
The spacecraft is arriving at the giant planet on the evening of July 4, 2016, after an almost five-year journey.
As per the US space agency NASA, on the evening of July 4, at roughly 9 p.m. PDT (12 a.m. EDT, July 5), the spacecraft will complete a burn of its main engine, placing it in orbit around the king of planets.
After the main engine burn, Juno will be in orbit around Jupiter. The spacecraft will spin down from 5 to 2 RPM, turn back toward the sun, and ultimately transmit telemetry via its high-gain antenna.
As Juno gets close to Jupiter and ahead of its arrival at the giant planet, NASA has released a brilliant 360-degree video trailer to raise awareness of the event. NASA's narrated video explains about Jupiter, spacecraft and the mission which is which is hoped will solve some of the greatest mysteries about the giant planet.
Once in Jupiter’s orbit, Juno will circle the Jovian world 37 times during 20 months, skimming to within 3,100 miles (5,000 km) above the cloud tops.
This is the first time a spacecraft will orbit the poles of Jupiter, providing new answers to ongoing mysteries about the planet’s core, composition and magnetic fields.
