Spaceflight Insider

News Archive / Tagged: Jupiter

  • James Webb Space Telescope to study Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

    Laurel KornfeldJune 26th, 2018

    When NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launches in May 2020, one of its first targets is expected to be Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a large storm believed to have been active on the giant planet for more than 350 years.

  • Juno solves lightning mystery, gets mission extension

    Joe LatrellJune 15th, 2018

    NASA's Juno probe, which has been in orbit around Jupiter since July, 2016 has provided scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) opportunities for research. One such research paper, recently published in Nature, helps explain the nature of Jupiter’s polar lightning.

  • Hubble, Galileo data provide more evidence of plumes over Europa

    Bart LeahyMay 15th, 2018

    After reviewing data from a previous mission to the Jovian system, scientists found evidence of a plume erupting from Jupiter's moon Europa, which NASA said indicates that the moon's subsurface ocean may indeed be venting water vapor through cracks in its icy surface.

  • New Galileo data provides insight into Ganymede’s magnetic environment

    Laurel KornfeldMay 5th, 2018

    New data from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter between 1995 and 2003, indicates the gas giant’s moon Ganymede is located in a tumultuous magnetic environment that may be the cause of its bright auroras.

  • Latest Juno image shows Jupiter’s cloud tops in intricate detail

    Laurel KornfeldApril 10th, 2018

    Among the most recent JunoCam images released by NASA is an intricate, color-enhanced photo of Jupiter's cloud tops taken April 1, 2018, that has the appearance of a watercolor painting.

  • Juno data reveals astonishing depth of Jupiter’s jet streams

    Laurel KornfeldMarch 8th, 2018

    Jupiter's colorful belts and bands are connected to cylindrical jet streams that extend as far as 1,900 miles (3,000 km) through the giant planet's atmosphere, according to data returned by NASA's Juno orbiter.

  • Juno spacecraft captures stunning images of Jupiter’s cloud tops, storms

    Laurel KornfeldJanuary 23rd, 2018

    During its recent close flybys of Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured incredible images of the giant planet's cloud tops, storms, and atmosphere that some have compared to Vincent Van Gogh's famous "Starry Night" painting.

  • Juno spacecraft makes fifth science pass of Jupiter

    Jim SharkeyMay 24th, 2017

    NASA's Juno mission made a close flyby of the planet Jupiter on May 19, successfully completing the spacecraft's fifth science orbit of the gas giant. JunoCam and all of the spacecraft's science instruments were operating during the flyby. Juno's next close flyby, which will take it over Jupiter's Great Red Spot, will take place on July 11, 2017.

  • ESA’s JUICE spacecraft could detect water plumes erupting on Europa

    Tomasz NowakowskiApril 29th, 2017

    ESA’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission to the Jovian system could easily confirm the presence of water on Europa, a new study finds. According to the research, it is feasible to detect water molecules (H2O) and water ions (H2O+) from the moon’s plumes during a flyby mission.

  • NASA approves instruments for ESA’s ‘JUICE’ mission

    Jim SharkeyApril 21st, 2017

    NASA's contributions to an upcoming European Space Agency mission have been moved from preliminary design to implementation phase. The "JUICE" mission is scheduled to launch in 2022 and arrive at Jupiter in Oct. 2029. JUICE will spend nearly four years investigating Jupiter's environment and its icy Galilean moons.

  • Juno heads for 5th flyby of Jupiter’s cloud tops

    Laurel KornfeldMarch 26th, 2017

    Less than nine months after entering orbit around Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to conduct its fifth close flyby of the giant planet's cloud tops on Monday, March 27, 2017.

  • NASA’s Jupiter moon mission named ‘Europa Clipper’

    Jim SharkeyMarch 12th, 2017

    NASA announced on Thursday, March 9, that the space agency's upcoming mission to study the habitability of Jupiter's frozen moon Europa will be named the "Europa Clipper". The name harkens back to the wooden clipper ships that sailed Earth's oceans in the 19th century.

  • NASA’s flyby of Europa mission begins design phase

    Jim SharkeyFebruary 27th, 2017

    A NASA mission to investigate the habitability of Jupiter's moon Europa, scheduled for launch in the 2020s, recently completed a major NASA review. NASA's Europa multiple-flyby mission successfully completed its Key Decision Point-B review on February 15, allowing the mission to continue in its preliminary design phase, known as "Phase B", beginning on February 27.

  • Goals for NASA’s proposed Europa Lander begin to crystallize

    Curt GodwinFebruary 9th, 2017

    Members of a NASA Science Definition Team (SDT) recently completed a report on the science value for a proposed Europa lander and gave design recommendations for the notional explorer. The search for evidence life on the icy moon is near the top of the list.

  • NASA selects Lucy and Psyche for next Discovery missions

    Paul KnightlyJanuary 4th, 2017

    NASA announced in a news release its next Discovery-class missions will be Lucy and Psyche. The missions will study an array of unexplored asteroids, with Lucy embarking on a tour of Jupiter's Trojan asteroids and Psyche setting course for the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche.