Mission Elapsed Time: 327 days (.90 yrs.) 10 hours 25 minutes
Time of Arrival: 1467 days (4.01 yrs.) 23 hours 37 minutes
As of June 20, Juno was approximately 287 million miles (462 million kilometers) from Earth, with a one-way radio signal travel time of approximately 25.7 minutes. The spacecraft has traveled 419 million miles (674 million kilometers) since launch, which represents approximately 22 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’s present Course and position as of this post
Juno is currently traveling at a velocity of 36,100 miles (58,100 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 99,100 miles (159,400 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:
On June 20, flight controllers commanded the spacecraft to test opening and closing the external cover that protects its main engine, and to fill the propellant lines that supply the engine with liquid oxygen and hydrazine, in preparation for its upcoming deep space maneuvers, slated for Aug. 30 and Sept. 4.
Mission Timeline:
1. Launch - August 5, 2011
2. Deep Space Maneuvers - August/September 2012
3. Earth flyby gravity assist - October 2013
4. Jupiter arrival - July 2016
5. Spacecraft will orbit Jupiter for about one year (33 orbits)
6, End of mission (deorbit into Jupiter) - October 2017
Juno will take an orbit that will give it an Earth gravity assist once it goes around the sun and heads back towards Jupiter. This is what is called the "sling-shot" effect and will save on the spacecraft's use of fuel:
