NASA’s Juno Begins Orbit Around Jupiter

NASA’s Juno starts orbit around Jupiter after a nearly five-year journey through the solar system.

NASA’s spacecraft Juno starts orbit around Jupiter. (Photo: iStockphoto)

Braving intense radiation, a NASA spacecraft reached Jupiter on Monday after a five-year voyage to begin exploring the king of the planets.

Ground controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory erupted in applause when the solar-powered Juno spacecraft beamed news home that it was circling Jupiter’s poles.

The spacecraft’s arrival at Jupiter was dramatic. As Juno approached its target, it fired its rocket engine to slow itself down and gently slipped into orbit. Because of the communication time lag between Jupiter and Earth, Juno was on autopilot when it executed the daring move.

The spacecraft’s camera and other instruments were switched off for arrival, so there won’t be any pictures at the moment it reaches its destination. Read the full story here.

Video Editor: Prashant Bhardwaj