October 4, 2007 -- NASA's Launch Services Program office at the Kennedy Space Center has selected United Launch Alliance's Atlas V -through Littleton-based Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services -for the Juno mission to Jupiter.
The $190 million contract includes the launch service for an Atlas V model 551 rocket, payload processing, launch vehicle integration, and the necessary tracking, data and telemetry support. The spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., in August 2011 on an interplanetary trajectory to Jupiter.
Juno will arrive at Jupiter in August 2016 to uncover the secrets hidden beneath the planet's thick, colorful clouds.
Juno's remote sensing and gravity science measurements will characterize Jupiter's interior atmosphere and polar magnetosphere with an eye toward understanding the planet's origin and evolution.
Source: Rocky Mountain News
