Juno being readied for fueling in June for next launch next week. Click for larger. Image Credit: NASA/KSC

The Juno spacecraft has been mated to the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will propel the craft to Jupiter, hopefully starting the voyage next week.

If the launch does not happen on August 5^th, no problem, the launch window extends to August 26^th.

Once Juno reaches Jupiter after a five-year journey it will enter a year long orbit with the following goals in mind:Determine how much water is in Jupiter’s atmosphere, which helps determine which planet formation theory is correct (or if new theories are needed)

• Look deep into Jupiter’s atmosphere to measure composition, temperature, cloud motions and other properties
• Map Jupiter’s magnetic and gravity fields, revealing the planet’s deep structure
• Explore and study Jupiter’s magnetosphere near the planet’s poles, especially the auroras – Jupiter’s northern and southern lights – providing new insights about how the planet’s enormous magnetic force field affects its atmosphere.

Once the mission is over Juno will be de-orbited into Jupiter.

Naturally there will be more info coming on the launch.

Visit the NASA Juno site for more detail about the mission.