NASA Just Made History

NASA's Juno spacecraft is still drifting in the wrong orbit around Jupiter, and it won't get corrected for at least another month.

The spacecraft, which arrived July 4 at the solar system's biggest planet, has been in a stable orbit ever since, according to Popular Science. In mid-October, NASA was planning to move Juno into a "science orbit" so it could begin studying Jupiter, but issues on the spacecraft have prevented that from happening, the report added.

NASA said the delay is because of two helium check valves that took minutes, not seconds, to open during a test run. Because those valves are crucial in firing Juno's engines, NASA needed more reliable results from that test before it could send the spacecraft out of its stable orbit, PopSci also reported.

(MORE: Why Jupiter's North Pole Is 'Like Nothing We Have Ever Seen')

If the spacecraft stays in its stable orbit, it'll pass by Jupiter once every 53.4 days, according to Popular Mechanics, whereas the science orbit allows it to circle – and study – the planet once every 14 days. The burn required to change trajectories can only happen when Juno is at its closest distance from Jupiter, which is why they'll have to wait until Dec. 11 to attempt it again, the report added.

Here's the good news: even if the spacecraft is unable to enter the science orbit on Dec. 11, Feb. 2 or any other future dates, Juno can still study the planet exactly the same from afar, according to the Verge. It'll collect the same data, but NASA's scientists will get it less frequently, and they might get less overall information from the spacecraft from the beginning to the end of the mission, the report added.

"We can do all of our science in a 53-day orbit if needed," principal investigator Scott Bolton said during a recent news conference, as quoted by Popular Science.

It also means the atmosphere-studying spacecraft might stick around a little longer than expected, if NASA can't get it into the science orbit. According to the Verge, NASA hasn't ruled out extending the mission beyond 2019, instead of ending it at the end of February 2018 as scheduled.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: 10 Things to Know About the Juno Mission