Juice’s Historic Lunar-Earth Flyby: A Critical Step Towards Jupiter

Have you seen enough shooting stars this august? While they're no actually stars (we've told lots of times...) there's something else going to fly close to our planet in a few days!

The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is set to make history with a lunar-Earth flyby on August 19-20, 2024. This maneuver, a double gravity assist, will slow down the spacecraft, altering its trajectory for a journey to Venus and ultimately, Jupiter. This delicate operation requires precise navigation, and any error could jeopardize the mission. Besides course correction, the flyby will also allow Juice's instruments to collect crucial scientific data.

Airbus, with its Space and Defence division, signed as prime contractor in 2015 and has led a consortium of more than 80 companies during the course of the project! The Company was selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) as prime contractor for the design, development, production, and testing of this new spacecraft with a revolutionary mission: exploring Jupiter's icy moons.

Why the Flyby?

JUICE doesn't have enough thrust on its own to reach Jupiter. The lunar flyby acts like a giant slingshot, using the Moon's gravity to accelerate the spacecraft and pick up extra speed. This "gravity assist" maneuver is a common technique used by spacecraft to reach distant destinations in our solar system.  

What Will JUICE Do During the Flyby?

While the primary purpose is the gravity assist, JUICE won't be phoning it in during its visit. The spacecraft's suite of scientific instruments will be switched on, allowing it to observe the Moon and its environment. This is a fantastic opportunity to test and calibrate the instruments before their main event – dissecting the mysteries of Jupiter's icy moons.

JUICE's observations will provide valuable data about the Moon's tenuous atmosphere, its surface composition, and the surrounding space environment. This information can be compared to data from previous lunar missions, helping us understand the Moon's evolution and its interaction with the solar wind.

After the lunar flyby, JUICE will continue its long journey towards Jupiter. It's expected to arrive in the Jovian system in July 2031, where it will spend years studying the giant planet and its moons, particularly focusing on Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto – all of which are thought to harbor vast oceans beneath their icy surfaces, potentially suitable for life as we know it.

The mission is particularly focused on Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, which is unique in the solar system for having its magnetic field. Juice will orbit Ganymede, making it the first spacecraft to do so around a moon other than Earth's. The spacecraft will also make multiple flybys of Europa and Callisto, gathering data that will help scientists better understand the geological processes at work on these icy worlds.

At Airbus, engineers and scientists had to face the extreme conditions of Space, particularly under the temperature point of view. JUICE faces extreme temperature challenges and energy limitations due to Jupiter's cold environment! The mission's goal is to investigate the possibility of subsurface oceans that could harbor life. To minimize interference, the spacecraft is designed with reduced electromagnetic emissions, essential for the operation of its 10 scientific instruments.

Juice is a flagship mission for ESA and Airbus and represents a significant international collaboration. It is expected to provide new insights into the conditions that might support life in our solar system and expand our understanding of the Jovian system and its complex interactions.

If you'd like to know more about this mission and keep updated about what's happening in the Space environment, joint the SpaceInfo Club and visit our friends at Airbus!

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