Colorado-Built Spacecraft Successfully Enters Jupiter's Orbit
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - Engineers cheered from the Waterton Canyon Lockheed Martin on the evening of July 4th to celebrate the successful placement of their spacecraft into Jupiter's orbit.
"It's a great day for Colorado," said Juno program manager Tim Gasparrini.
Juno was built five years ago in Littleton and sent on its two billion mile journey with the help of United Alliance, another Colorado company.
Scientists said Monday night was vital for Juno, as it slowed speed in order to get into an orbit with Jupiter.
"It's the fourth of July, we're hoping that we have some really good fireworks around Jupiter as Juno lights off it's main engine," Gasparrini said a few hours before the event.
It's part of an ambitious effort to understand the solar system's biggest planet, and the last phase of the Juno mission. Upon successful placement, Juno will spend the next 20 months doing experiments with its nine instruments and 26 sensors.
"We're going into a different environment that we've never been to before, it's a first time thing," Gasparrini said.
There were concerns about radiation and magnetic fields, but shortly after 10 p.m., Juno successfully entered the orbit of Jupiter.
"We'll fully map the surface of Jupiter. Juno will help us to understand the formation of the solar system," Gasparrini said. "Jupiter holds some of the keys to helping scientists unlock the secrets of how the solar system was formed."