On this day in space! Aug. 5, 2011: NASA's Juno spacecraft launches to Jupiter

On Aug. 5, 2011, NASA launched the Juno spacecraft on a mission to study Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Here's why it mattered.

The top 3

  1. First to Cross the Asteroid Belt and Visit Jupiter: NASA's Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to successfully traverse the asteroid belt and conduct a flyby of Jupiter in December 1973, providing the first close-up images and data of the giant planet.
  2. First to Achieve Orbit Around Jupiter: NASA's Galileo probe became the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter, arriving in December 1995 and conducting a multi-year study of the planet and its moons, including deploying a probe into its atmosphere.
  3. Current Mission Unveiling Jupiter's Polar Regions: Launched in 2011, NASA's Juno spacecraft is currently in a unique polar orbit around Jupiter, studying its interior structure, magnetic field, and auroras to understand its formation and evolution.

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