spacetoday.net: Atlas launches NASA mission to Jupiter

Posted: Fri, Aug 5, 2011, 8:26 PM ET (0026 GMT)
Atlas 5 launch of Juno (NASA/KSC)

An Atlas 5 rocket successfully launched on Friday a NASA spacecraft bound for Jupiter. The Atlas 5 551 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 12:25 pm EDT (1625 GMT) and released the Juno spacecraft on an escape trajectory 53 minutes later. The launch was delayed for nearly an hour to troubleshoot a helium leak eventually traced to ground equipment, and because a boat entered restricted waters off the coast from the launch site. Juno will spend nearly five years traveling to Jupiter, entering polar orbit around the solar system's largest planet in July 2016. Scientists hope the spacecraft's instruments will provide new insights into the planet's magnetic field, atmosphere, and interior. The total cost of the mission is about $1.1 billion.