Video: NASA’s Juno Mission to Jupiter

NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter is currently approximately 52 million miles from Earth and traveling at a velocity of about 15 miles per second relative to the sun. The Juno probe is now looping through the inner solar system for a “gravity slingshot” boost before its voyage to the gas giant, and will engage a polar orbit for unprecedented observation of Jupiter’s cloud tops and polar aurorae.

This short film gives an overview of the Juno mission from launch to its expected exploration of Jupiter in 2017. Juno’s principal goal is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. During its mission, the craft will repeatedly orbit only a few thousand miles from the cloud tops.