The spacecraft aims to scrutinise the temperature of lava flows and establish connections between Io’s activity and Jupiter’s magnetosphere. The close flyby is anticipated to take place at a distance of approximately 930 miles from Io’s surface.
Beneath Io’s crust lies a vast magma ocean, and the primary objective of this flyby mission is to explore the potential existence of an ocean beneath the moon’s surface.
Additionally, Juno will investigate any influence exerted by Jupiter on the substantial magma tides. The gravitational pull of Io is expected to alter Juno’s orbit around Jupiter, impacting the spacecraft’s trajectory and offering opportunities to study the gravitational effects of Jupiter on Io.
Juno will utilize three cameras during the Io flyby, each serving to capture surface temperatures and high-resolution images of Io’s terrain. JunoCam, specifically designed for visible light colour images, will contribute to this comprehensive data collection.
The reduced gravitational pull of Io around Jupiter will affect the spacecraft’s trajectory, initiating occultation experiments starting in April 2024. This mission is an integral part of NASA’s New Frontier Program, managed by JPL and Lockheed Martin Space in Denver, responsible for constructing and launching the spacecraft.
Scheduled to conclude in late 2025, the mission is led by principal investigator Scott J Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
Juno is anticipated to closely approach Io’s surface, maintaining a distance of approximately 920 miles or 1500 kilometres from the moon’s surface. The initial close flyby of Io is set for Saturday, December 30, with an ultra-close flyby planned for February 2, 2024.
Throughout the mission plan, Juno will adjust its trajectory between Jupiter and Io a total of 18 times, gathering detailed information on the moon’s volcanic features.
