Overview

• Image noise re-emerged during Juno’s 74th orbit of Jupiter, disrupting the high-resolution views previously captured by JunoCam.
• Earlier annealing cycles—raising the camera’s heater to 77°F and later to even higher temperatures—successfully repaired radiation damage for the December 2023 Io flyby.
• The remote heating process targets defects in JunoCam’s voltage regulator, marking an unprecedented deep-space hardware repair.
• Variants of the annealing technique are being tested on additional Juno instruments and subsystems to extend their lifespans in Jupiter’s intense radiation.
• Results presented at the July IEEE Nuclear & Space Radiation Effects Conference underscore the potential of in situ annealing to inform future radiation-tolerant spacecraft designs.