JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.

NASA Selects New Frontiers Mission Concept Study

Jun 01, 2005
Cassini image of Jupiter.+ Full image and caption
Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.

NASA today announced that a mission to fly to Jupiter will proceed to a preliminary design phase. The mission is called Juno, and it is the second in NASA's New Frontiers Program.

NASA today announced that a mission to fly to Jupiter will proceed to a preliminary design phase. The mission is called Juno, and it is the second in NASA's New Frontiers Program.

The mission will conduct an in-depth study of the giant planet. The mission proposes to place a spacecraft in a polar orbit around Jupiter to investigate the existence of an ice-rock core; determine the amount of global water and ammonia present in the atmosphere; study convection and deep wind profiles in the atmosphere; investigate the origin of the jovian magnetic field; and explore the polar magnetosphere.

"We are excited at the prospect of the new scientific understanding and discoveries by Juno in our continued exploration of the outer reaches of our solar system during the next decade," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

At the end of the preliminary design study, the mission must pass a confirmation review that will address significant schedule, technical and cost risks before being confirmed for the development phase.

Dr. Scott Bolton of Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, is the principal investigator. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., will provide mission project management. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, will build the spacecraft.

NASA selected two proposed mission concepts for study in July 2004 from seven submitted in February 2004 in response to an agency Announcement of Opportunity. "This was a very tough decision given the exciting and innovative nature of the two missions," Asrar added.

The selected New Frontiers science mission must be ready for launch no later than June 30, 2010, within a mission cost cap of $700 million.

The New Frontiers Program is designed to provide opportunities to conduct several of the medium-class missions identified as top priority objectives in the Decadal Solar System Exploration Survey, conducted by the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council.

The first NASA New Frontiers mission will fly by the Pluto-Charon system in 2014 and then target another Kuiper asteroid belt object.

For information about NASA's science programs on the Web, visit: http://science.hq.nasa.gov/. For information about NASA and agency programs on the Web, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html.

JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
+ NASA Science Programs
+ NASA home page

News Media Contact

Carolina Martinez

(212) 460-4111

Dolores Beasley/Erica Hupp

(202) 358-1753/1237

2005-090

Related News

Mars .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter to Make First Flight Attempt Sunday

Mars .

NASA’s Odyssey Orbiter Marks 20 Historic Years of Mapping Mars

Solar System .

Probing for Life in the Icy Crusts of Ocean Worlds

Mars .

NASA’s First Weather Report From Jezero Crater on Mars

Mars .

NASA Invites Public to Take Flight With Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

Mars .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own

Mars .

Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings With Arrival of Perseverance

Mars .

NASA’s InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars

Solar System .

NASA’s Europa Clipper Builds Hardware, Moves Toward Assembly

Mars .

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Takes Selfie With ‘Mont Mercou’

Explore More

Image .

Goldstone Radar Observations of Asteroid 2001 FO32

Video .

What's Up - April 2021

Image .

Europa Clipper Spacecraft (Illustration)

Image .

Europa Imaging System Wide Angle Camera

Image .

Faraday Cups Up Close: NASA's Europa Clipper

Image .

Europa Clipper's Thermal Tubing

Image .

Europa Imaging System Narrow Angle Camera

Image .

Europa Clipper REASON Testing on the Mesa

Image .

Europa Clipper's Europa Imaging System in the Works

Image .

Preparing NASA's Europa Clipper's Plasma Instrument

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Universe Newsletter
Social Media
RSS
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono