As of June 13, Juno was approximately 283 million miles (455 million kilometers) from Earth, with a one-way radio signal travel time of approximately 25.3 minutes. The spacecraft has traveled 413 million miles (665 million kilometers) since launch, which represents approximately 21.7 percent of the total distance Juno will cover between launch and arrival at Jupiter. That distance is 20.49 astronomical units (1.9 billion miles, or 3.1 billion kilometers), or nearly five times greater than the separation between the orbits of Earth and Jupiter.
Juno is currently traveling at a velocity of 36,400 miles (58,600 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 98,500 miles (158,500 kilometers) per hour. The spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.
Most recent spacecraft significant events
During the period of May 9-16, the spacecraft successfully executed commands to warm its helium pressurant system and main engine injector plate – part of a series of tests in preparation for the mission’s upcoming deep space maneuvers, scheduled for Aug. 30 and Sept. 4. Juno carries two tanks of liquid helium (an inert, or non-reactive gas) to create pressure in the spacecraft’s propulsion system. The engine’s injector plate is a literally a metal plate with holes in it, through which the propellants spray into the bell-shaped engine nozzle. The recent tests verified the team’s predictions for the time it takes to bring these components up from their cold, deep-space temperatures to their nominal temperatures for engine firing.
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