On Friday, NASA announced that the Jupiter bound Juno spacecraft is nearing the biggest planet in the solar system, at just 11.1 million miles away or about 26 days away from its target approach date.

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On July 4, Monday, the spacecraft will activate and produce an engine burn, blasting its main rockets for about 35 minutes, for the probe to be captured by Jupiter's gravitational forces and align itself on stable orbit near its polar regions. The probe has been travelling for five years in space since its launch.

NASA mission scientists consider this latest journey into space to be a challenging mission, since Jupiter also emits the most dangerous levels of radiation than any planet in the solar system. The Juno spacecraft is well designed and equipped with an advanced suite of scientific instruments to explore and withstand the gas giant's harsh environment and climate.

According to lead investigator for the Juno mission, Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute, the probe is now scheduled to arrive and make its rendezvous soon, as Juno is speeding by at four miles every second.

Scientists expect Juno to increase its velocity as it gets closer to the colossal planet, due to its powerful gravitational forces. Upon rendezvous, the probe will achieve speeds of 40 miles per second just before it blasts off its rocket engines to be placed into orbit.

In just a few weeks, the team will be carrying out the Jupiter orbit insertion plan to determine every possible scenario upon the probe's entry into the planet's lower orbit. So far, scientists have identified two possible scenarios, when the probe emerges from its safe mode, Juno will still be operational in the event of any anomaly or unexpected atmospheric conditions. The second scenario involves executing a minor update to the probe's software.

According to project manager for Juno, Rick Nybakken, the team is now carrying out last tests and review stages of the orbit insertion plan, which is part of the final preparations for Juno's orbital entry.

Juno's main mission involves discovering the origins of Jupiter and determining clues how the gas giant evolved and formed. The probe will then collect data specifically water and ammonia levels detected on its atmosphere to determine its origins. The spacecraft will also analyze and examine gravitational and magnetic fields surrounding the planet, to also determine its core.

TagsNASA, Jupiter, juno probe, Juno spacecraft, NASA juno jupiter, jupiter probe arrivval