The mission of the Juno probe studying Jupiter may have come to an end. But so far, no one at NASA can confirm or deny this.
The Juno spacecraft was launched in 2011 to study Jupiter. It reached the planet in 2016, but due to an engine malfunction, it remained in an unplanned orbit. This circumstance played an important role in the fate of the mission. In the years that followed, Juno conducted unprecedented research of Jupiter, its internal structure, gravitational and magnetic fields, and weak ring system.
In addition, Juno performed a series of close flybys of Jupiter’s largest moons: Io, Ganymede, and Europa. They were not part of the original mission plan and became possible because the spacecraft remained in a different orbit than expected.
Despite regularly flying through Jupiter’s powerful radiation belts, Juno is still in good technical condition. NASA has repeatedly extended its mission. The last time this occurred was in 2021, guaranteeing its funding until September 30, 2025. That date has already passed, and due to the US government shutdown, there is still no information about the fate of the mission.
NASA is a government agency. According to the shutdown rules, only space missions that fall under “exceptional activities” (which are necessary to protect life, property, or national security) may continue their work or communications. NASA’s continuity plans also stipulate that transferred funding can only be used for “presidential priority tasks,” which limits the number of scientific programs that can continue during a shutdown.
Juno does not fall into these protected categories. To make matters worse, the mission was excluded from the White House’s proposed NASA budget for 2026, which appears to make it a low priority. It is quite possible that after the shutdown, NASA turned off the device, completing its missions. Such an outcome would be a major blow to science, creating a long-term gap in Jupiter research and depriving scientists of valuable data. Many also hoped that the spacecraft would be able to participate in observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
In any case, we currently have no official information about what happened to the vehicle. The fate of Juno will only become clear once the US government resumes normal operations.
According to Space.com
