Exploring Jupiter

August 2021 marks ten years since Nasa’s mission to Jupiter, Juno, was launched. The mission – to uncover the mysteries surrounding Jupiter’s formation – was expected to end this year with the $1.1 billion satellite deorbiting into the planet’s gassy atmosphere. But thanks to the ingenuity of its engineering, the robust spacecraft has surpassed expectations and been granted an extension to its life.

The Sky at Night looks at the amazing research that has resulted from this mission, expanding our understanding of the gas giant and explaining how Juno will now use its extra time in orbit to gather information for future Jupiter-bound missions – Nasa’s Europa Clipper and the European Space Agency’s Juice mission.