NASA's Jupiter-headed spacecraft Juno that - hopefully - will duplicate the Cassini-probes tremendous succes at Saturn, is ready for launch and being fueled

The Juno spacecraft completed hydrazine fuel loading, oxidizer loading and final tank pressurizations this week, and now the complete propulsion system is ready for the trip to Jupiter. The spacecraft is currently at the Astrotech processing facility

Hydrazine is the fuel of choice for most spacecraft because of its stored energy. When the fuel is mixed with the oxidizer, the liquid ignites in the propulsion system's main engine to perform the spacecraft's four large maneuvers. One of these maneuvers includes inserting the spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter in 2016.

With the fueling completion, the spacecraft is 99% ready for launch. Once the final thermal blanket closeouts and wet spin tests are complete, the spacecraft will be 100% ready for installation onto the Atlas 551 launch vehicle.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.

See http://missionjuno.swri.edu