The Next Spacecraft Bound for Jupiter

The Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft is entering a series of vital tests before its planned liftoff aboard an Atlas V-551 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., this August — and I got to see it firsthand. A unique outer-planet spacecraft, the solar-powered probe is slated to reach the giant planet in July 2016.

Juno will map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras. The Juno mission is the second spacecraft designed under NASA's New Frontiers Program.

Here at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, the builder of Juno, the intricate spacecraft is getting a good and appropriate dose of tender loving care – something it will need when it encounters the intense radiation at Jupiter.…

See SPACE.com for links to further info.