Astronomy and Space

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice, formerly JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). It is on its way to orbit and study three icy moons of Jupiter: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. These planetary-mass moons are targets for study because they are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces, which would make them potentially habitable for extraterrestrial life. Juice is the first interplanetary spacecraft to the outer Solar System planets not launched by the United States and the first intended to orbit a moon other than Earth's Moon. Launched by ESA, from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on 14 April 2023, with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor, it is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031 after four gravity assists and eight years of travel. In December 2034, the spacecraft will enter orbit around Ganymede for its close-up science mission. Its period of operations will overlap with NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which was launched in October 2024.

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See also

• ▸HD 179949
• ▸Frisco Silver Dollar Line
• ▸67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko

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