Juno to Surpass 6 Full Years at Jupiter, Speeding Toward Europa Close Flyby

On July 4, giant Jupiter and its 80 known satellites will be celebrated with artificial satellite Juno starting its 7th year in Jupiter orbit. Having launched August 2011, the spacecraft, in extended mission phase with 9 instruments, is estimated to cost US$1.46B for operations and data analysis through 2022. Perijove 45 on September 29 will accelerate Juno to ~200,000 kph relative to Jupiter due to its gravity (2.5x that of Earth), and set it up for Europa flyby at 350 km while reducing orbital period from 43 to 38 days. Well before the last orbit / Perijove 76 in September 2025, additional close flybys of Europa and Io will occur, as will the first exploration of Jupiter faint rings, Great Blue Spot magnetic flux investigations, gravitational field mapping, element-ratio measurements and impactful high-res optical images. Leading the mission is PI Scott Bolton of SwRI, and coinvestigators include Toby Owen (U of Hawaii), Andrew Ingersoll (Caltech), Frances Bagenal (U of CO – Boulder), and Candy Hansen (Planetary Science Institute). Highlighting the next Galileo moon explorer launching October 2024, Dave Doody of JPL will talk July 9 on ‘The Upcoming Europa Clipper Mission’ during AIAA LA-LV Town Hall. ESA JUICE is planning to launch 2023 on an Ariane 5, while Gan De mission to Jupiter from China is proposed to launch October 2029. (Image Credits: NASA, JPL, SwRI)

MONDAY

☆ Jul 4 — ISS, ~405-km LEO: Expedition 67 seven-member crew (3 NASA, 3 Roscosmos, 1 ESA) tending radish sprouts for XROOTS hydroponic / aeroponic study, maintaining Intelligent Glass Optics study on AI processing, conducting human research on radiation and immunity.

☆ Jul 4 — Tiangong Space Station, ~370-km LEO: Shenzhou 14 three-member crew working to configure and test optical atomic clock with goal of one quintillionth / second accuracy, Shenzhou-13 crew ‘feeling good’, recount toenail clipping travails.

o = International terrestrial events in local time.

★ = Space events, and… ☆ = International space / astro events in Hawaii Standard Time unless noted. Add 10 hours to obtain UT (‘Universal Time’).

Vega C Inaugural Launch Set for July 7 as Europe Advances Space Commercialization, Art and Science

ESA is introducing European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce (ECSECO) at live event streamed from Vienna, Austria July 4. ECSECO will be modeled on European Centre for Space Law, with administration based at European Space Policy Institute (ESPI) and mission to “provide a European platform for interdisciplinary discussions and research on space economy and commerce”. Keynote speakers include (L-R) ESA Director Josef Aschbacher, Austria Technology Minister Henriette Spyra, and current ESPI Director Jean-Jacques Tortora – incoming ESPI Director Hermann Ludwig Moeller will moderate a panel discussion, and an ESA-ESPI MoU will be signed. On July 5, Arianespace is to launch 35-m Vega-C (consolidated) rocket, a more powerful and versatile version of ESA / ASI SLLV. Vega-C is capable of lofting 2,300 kg to 700 km SSO, features new first stage P120C (to be shared with upcoming Ariane 6) and a larger composite fairing, doubling payload volume. Vespa-C payload adapter and Small Spacecraft Mission Service dispenser allow multiple rideshare configurations. Continuing the pursuit of ‘Astronautical Humanism’ first articulated in Greater Earth Manifesto of 1998, Space Renaissance International hosts Space Renaissance Art & Science Festival at Archenhold Observatory in Berlin, Germany July 7-9. The festival will focus on Philosophy & Policy, Astronauts & Civilians, and Space Art with dual tracks in English and German. Attendees will enjoy night observation with 68-cm aperture, 21-m focal length ‘Celestial Cannon’ refracting telescope Himmelskanone. (Image Credits: ESA, ECSECO, Gov of Austria, SRI, Arianespace, Archenhold Observatory)

★ Jul 4 — Juno, Jupiter Orbit: Spacecraft reaches 6th full year at Jupiter today; one-way transmission signal to Earth is 48 minutes, mission extended through September 2025.

☆ Jul 4 — NASA, Equatorial Launch Australia, Launch Black Brant 9 / Suborbital Imaging Spectrograph for Transition region Irradiance from Nearby Exoplanet (SISTINE), Arnhem Space Center, Yolngu land, Australia: Magellan Aerospace sounding rocket launching suborbital astrophysics mission SISTINE to study stellar UV effects on atmospheric gases associated with biosignatures, led by Univ of Colorado Boulder.

o Jul 4 — ESA, European Space Policy Institute, Hybrid / Vienna, Austria and Online: European Centre for Space Economy and Commerce (ECSECO) launch event; new organization with ESPI as secretariat to be discussed, 14:00-16:00 CEST.

o Jul 4-8 — University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom: Rocky Worlds II Conference.

☆ Jul 4 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 LX1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU)

Continued From…

★ Jun 28 – Nov 13 — CAPSTONE, Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit Trajectory: Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment heading to operating position at NRHO / cislunar space.

TUESDAY

o Jul 5 — KARI, Incheon International Airport, S Korea: South Korea lunar orbiter ‘Danuri’ to be sent on its way to Cape Canaveral SFS today for August 5 launch.

● Jul 5 — The Space Show, Online / Tiburon CA: Dr. David Livingston talks with space historian Bob Zimmerman.

o Jul 5-16 — Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI), Moscow, Russia: 16th Summer School of Modern Astrophysics (SOMA-2022): Exoplanets – Formation and Evolution; Cancelled.

☆ Jul 5 — Amor Asteroid 2022 MY: Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU)

☆ Jul 5 — Aten Asteroid 2021 EL4: Near-Earth Flyby (0.050 AU)

☆ Jul 5 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 MA1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)