Pre-Launch

On August 5th, 2011 one of the world's most powerful rockets took off.

Explore

Interact with the hotspots below to learn more.
  • LIGHTNING TOWERS

    The four white spires that surround Juno’s launch pad are lightning towers, protecting the spacecraft from lightning strikes.


  • A COSMIC EVENT

    Launching Juno into space takes everything we know.


  • MASS BUDGET

    The Atlas V 551 rocket has a certain mass limit, and the margin for error is slim.


  • LAUNCH OVERVIEW

    Check out the key stages of the launch.


  • READY TO FLY

    Is Juno prepared for the journey ahead? Pre-launch tests trick the spacecraft into thinking it’s in space.


  • WHEN DO WE DEPART?

    Juno has to launch within a tight window in time to reach Jupiter on schedule.


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Launch