The European Space Agency’s Juice mission to study Jupiter’s icy moons will conduct a daring double flyby of Earth and the moon this week to help it reach the largest planet in our solar system.
The European Space Agency’s Juice mission is making two historic firsts on its long journey to study the potential habitability of Jupiter’s icy moons. The Juice, or Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, spacecraft — launched in April 2023 — is conducting the first flyby of the moon and Earth in succession, and the first double gravity assist maneuver, this week.
Minor adjustments to Juice’s flight pattern put the spacecraft on track to arrive at the moon and Earth at the right time and speed while coming extremely close to both. Juice first passed 434 miles from the moon’s surface and then it will fly 4,229 miles from Earth’s surface. The moon’s gravity slightly bent Juice’s path so it receives a much larger gravity assist from Earth. But every detail of the dual flyby has to go perfectly.
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