Jupiter mission: ESA's "Juice" probe gains momentum as it orbits the Earth
The European space probe "Juice" is to test the moons of Jupiter for the conditions for life. It will pass Earth several times on its outward journey.
The ESA probe "Juice" photographed its home planet as it flew past Earth.
(Image: ESA)
For the first time during its mission, the "Juice" space probe gained momentum for its onward flight this week by flying past the Earth and the moon. The ESA probe (Juice stands for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) thus initiated its onward flight to the neighboring planet Venus. Further fly-bys are intended to shorten the flight to its destination Jupiter and help save several hundred kilograms of fuel. This saving is useful in order to be able to use more fuel for scientific activities on Jupiter later on. This is a common procedure, as practiced by the "Messenger" mission to Mercury, for example.
The flight maneuver took place on August 19 and 20, according to the European Space Agency. The probe came closest to the moon on August 19 at 11:15 p.m. Central European Time, and to Earth one day later at around 11:56 p.m. The flight altitude above the Earth was 6840 kilometers at the height of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The total deflection due to the gravity of the moon and the earth was 100 degrees compared to the original flight path. The speed was increased by 0.9 kilometers per second relative to the sun by the moon and decreased by 4.8 kilometers per second by the earth in order to steer "Juice" onto a new trajectory towards Venus.
The ESA space probe was launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana in April 2023. The mission, the furthest out into the solar system to date, aims to investigate whether life could exist on Jupiter's moons. The focus is on the three larger moons, which have a kilometer-thick ice shell. The conditions for life could be fulfilled there.
(Image: ESA)
Probe instruments tested
The current Earth flyby was also used to test the spacecraft's instruments for their functionality in space. The probe sent several high-resolution images of its flyby to Earth. During the Earth flyby, 8 out of 10 instruments were successfully tested, and all 10 during the moon flyby.
After passing Earth, the probe will now head for Venus, which it is due to orbit in August 2025. It will then fly back to Earth. Fly-bys are planned here in 2026 and 2029. Finally, Jupiter is to be reached in July 2031. There, 35 flybys of Jupiter's moons are planned, as well as entering an orbit around Ganymede.
(mki)