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NASA officials to give first update on Juno: Watch it live, right here

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After a nearly five-year journey through the solar system, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has reached its target, Jupiter. NASA officials will give their first briefing on the mission at 10 p.m. Pacific time, and you can watch it live, right here.

Juno slipped into orbit around the gas giant shortly before 9 p.m., causing the mission control room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to erupt in applause.

“Welcome to Jupiter,” the scientists and engineers repeated to one another.

Michael Watkins, who took over as director of the lab on Friday, said he had mixed emotions after getting the signal that Juno had entered Jupiter’s orbit.

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“It’s a combination of excitement and relief,” Watkins said on NASA TV. “At the same time, you can’t help but worry that something has gone wrong.”

Although Juno left Earth back in August 2011, its scientific mission is just beginning.

Now that it has completed its 1.8-billion-mile journey, the solar-powered craft is set to cruise around Jupiter 37 times over a period of 20 months. Juno will collect information about the planet’s magnetic field, composition and internal structure.

The spacecraft will follow long, looping paths around the planet, crossing the north and south poles. This will keep it away from the brunt of Jupiter’s intense radiation, and also orient its three large solar panels so they are awash with sunlight at all times.

The first trip around Jupiter will take about 54 days, as NASA engineers confirm that all the equipment on board is functioning properly. Juno will then transition to a quicker orbit — one that takes only 14 days to complete.

The spacecraft will remain at this speed until February 2018, when it will turn toward Jupiter and meet its fiery fate in the depths of the planet’s burning atmosphere.

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Before its bittersweet end, the mission is expected to yield valuable information not just about Jupiter but the origins of the solar system.

megan.daley@latimes.com

Follow @mdaley_ on Twitter for more science news and “like” Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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UPDATES:

9: 25 p.m.: This story has been updated with details about Juno’s arrival in Jupiter orbit and new information about NASA’s upcoming press conference to discuss the mission.

This story was originally published at 7:30 p.m.

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