NASA is about to embark on one of its biggest missions yet. On Monday, July 4, at 10:30 p.m. EDT, you can watch the Juno spacecraft begin its exploration of Jupiter, according to Business Insider.
Juno has been traveling around space for the past five years to arrive at its destination. It'll begin the next phase of its mission with a polar orbit of Jupiter, during which it will pass both of the gas giant's poles. The planet's gravitational pull will bring the spacecraft up to 165,000 mph, one of the fastest speeds of any man-made object. This is enough to orbit Earth in nine minutes, according to Business Insider .
Starting at 11:18 p.m. EDT, Juno's engine will begin firing to slow the spacecraft down. Then, if everything goes as planned, Juno will either enter the planet's orbit — or fly off into deep space forever.
The polar orbit will stream on NASA TV and in the video, below. Between this and Fourth of July fireworks, there'll be a lot of excitement to watch in the sky tonight.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT