NASA’s Jupiter-circling spacecraft Juno stuck making long laps

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Jupiter-circling spacecraft is stuck making long laps around the gas giant because of sticky valves.

It currently takes Juno 53 days to fly around the solar system’s biggest planet. That’s almost four times longer than the intended 14-day orbit.

After repeated delays, NASA decided late last week to scrap an engine firing that would have shortened the orbit. Officials said the maneuver is too risky because of the valve problem.

Only the second spacecraft to orbit Jupiter, Juno has been circling the planet since July.

NASA said the quality of science won’t be affected and stressed that stunning pictures of Jupiter will keep coming this way. But it will take more time to gather the data, given Juno’s longer loops. The mission will have to be extended at tens of millions of extra dollars if scientists are to collect everything under the original plan. It’s already a billion-dollar mission.

On the plus side, according to scientists, Juno now will spend less time in Jupiter’s abrasive radiation belts.

“The decision to forego the burn is the right thing to do — preserving a valuable asset so that Juno can continue its exciting journey of discovery,” NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen, the science mission associate administrator, said in a statement. He added that the pictures from Juno “are nothing short of amazing.”