NASA's Jupiter probe Juno is now back up and running after unexpectedly putting itself in a safe mode.
The Juno probe was launched in 2011 and has spent the last two years orbiting Earth and Mars, using gravity to get enough speed before heading to study Jupiter. The Juno probe left Earth's orbit earlier last week and is traveling at a speed of 12,000kph (7,457mph), which makes it one of the fastest objects ever created by humankind.
The Southwest Research Institute, which is responsible for leading the mission, reported that the spacecraft went to "safe mode" (a state it is programmed to go if it senses a snag) that cuts all access to researchers on Earth. On Friday, October 11, the Juno probe turned itself on again.
"The spacecraft exited safe mode at 4:12 p.m. CDT (5:12 p.m. EDT) earlier today. The spacecraft is currently operating nominally and all systems are fully functional. The safe mode did not impact the spacecraft's trajectory one smidgeon," per the statement given by Southwest Research Institute to The Register.
However, the Southwest Research Institute declined to say if the Juno probe was restored by researchers on Earth or if the spacecraft restarted on its own. The probe is now fully active and is on its original course.
The Juno probe is now expected to reach its original destination, Jupiter, sometime in 2016 summer. The spacecraft will travel a total distance of around 2.8 billion kilometers (1.74 billion miles). Juno will orbit Jupiter 33 times during one Earth year.
Once it reaches Jupiter, the spacecraft will start collecting intended data about the planet such as gravity and atmosphere.
The Juno probe is also expected to research on how the planet was formed, including other areas like whether the planet has a rocky core, the amount of water present within the deep atmosphere and how the planet's mass is distributed. The probe will also study Jupiter's deep winds, which reaches speed of 618kph (384 mph).
