Konstantin Sukharnikov Scientific instrumentation

A hobby. An independent overview compiled from public sources by a science and space enthusiast. I am not involved in these missions or facilities; my own work is detector electronics at European XFEL. My projects →

Mission · Jupiter

Juno

Jupiter orbiter

Status
Status unclear
Launched
5 Aug 2011
Target
Jupiter, with flybys of Ganymede, Europa and Io
Agencies
NASA, JPL, SwRI
Next
No confirmed events; mission status unclear

Summary

In orbit around Jupiter since 2016, studying its interior, magnetic field and aurorae; the extended mission added flybys of Ganymede, Europa and Io.

Now as of 3 Nov 2026

The status is unclear. The last officially announced extension ended on 30 September 2025, in the middle of a US government shutdown, and NASA did not confirm at the time whether the spacecraft was still operating (Space.com). The budget request for fiscal year 2027 again proposes to end Juno (Planetary Society). Papers based on Juno data keep appearing: in October 2026, one on Jupiter's "shield" of plasma waves and shock regions against the solar wind (ScienceDaily) and one on its rippling magnetodisk (Universe Today). One source claims an extension to September 2028; I found no official confirmation.

Key dates

  1. 5 Aug 2011Launch (Atlas V)done
  2. 4 Jul 2016Jupiter orbit insertiondone
  3. Dec 2023 and Feb 2024Close flybys of Io (~1,500 km)done
  4. 30 Sep 2025Last confirmed extension endsdone

Timeline

  1. 28 Oct 2026Report on Jupiter's plasma "shield" (paper in Nature Communications, 31 July) — ScienceDaily
  2. 22 Jul 2026First measurements of temperature below Io's surface — Mission Juno
  3. Oct 2025Mission formally expires; status not confirmed — Space.com