Juno Mission Yields Unexpected Radiation Hardening insights, bolstering Future Jupiter exploration
PASADENA, CA – Data from NASA’s juno mission, currently in its extended phase orbiting Jupiter, is unexpectedly informing strategies too mitigate radiation damage on spacecraft – a development with implications for both Earth-based satellites and upcoming deep-space missions, including the Europa Clipper.
Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, gathering data on the planet’s internal structure, magnetic field, and atmosphere. While the spacecraft remains fully functional, its JunoCam imager has experienced degradation due to exposure to the intense radiation belts surrounding Jupiter. Juno orbits the planet every 33 days,repeatedly traversing these belts. The primary mission concluded in 2021, with an extended mission approved through the end of this month.
“Everything is functional,” stated Scott Bolton, Juno’s lead scientist from the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI). “There’s been some degradation, things that we saw many years ago, but those haven’t changed. Actually, some of them improved, to be honest.”
NASA engineers are attempting to repair JunoCam through annealing – a process of heating and cooling the instrument’s electronics to attempt self-repair.This is a rarely attempted procedure in space. “Even satellites at Earth experience this [radiation damage], but there’s very little done or known about it,” Bolton explained. ”In fact, what we’re learning with juno has benefits for Earth satellites, both commercial and national security.”
The unique radiation environment around Jupiter provides a natural laboratory for studying annealing techniques. “We can’t really produce the natural radiation environment at earth or Jupiter in a lab,” Bolton said.
Crucially, lessons learned from juno directly influenced the decision to proceed with the launch of Europa clipper, which launched last year and is scheduled to enter orbit around Jupiter in 2030 to study its moon Europa. Engineers identified a potential flaw in clipper’s transistors that could increase susceptibility to radiation damage. NASA managers opted to continue with the mission, confident that annealing could address any resulting damage once the spacecraft reaches Jupiter.
The Juno mission’s unexpected contribution to radiation hardening techniques underscores the value of continued exploration of the Jovian system and its potential benefits for space technology across the board.
