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NASA extends Juno mission turning spacecraft towards Jupiter’s moons – Io, Europa, and Ganymede.

White oval storms on Jupiter known as the String of Pearls

NASA announced today that it will extend the Juno mission through 2025. Instead of closing the mission after its exploration of Jupiter, NASA engineers will turn the spacecraft towards Jupiter’s moons – Io, Europa, and Ganymede. The new mission will include several close flybys of Jupiter’s moons as well as its system of rings.

Juno was launched in 2011 and entered into a polar orbit around Jupiter in July 2016. To date, it has completed more than 30 orbits around Jupiter but scientists believe the spacecraft is still healthy enough to continue work. In face, it may be able to double its orbits around Jupiter making up to 76 runs around the solar system’s largest planet.

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