The European Space Agency’s JUICE space probe successfully launched on a mission to determine if Jupiter’s frozen moons can support extraterrestrial life in their huge, hidden seas. The launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, after a failed attempt on Thursday due to lightning. The probe will take advantage of numerous gravitational boosts along the journey, first by flying by Earth and the Moon, then slingshotting around Venus in 2025 before swinging past Earth again in 2029.
When the probe approaches Jupiter’s orbit in July 2031, its ten scientific instruments will analyze the biggest planet in the Solar System as well as its three frozen moons, Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. The 1.6 billion euro expedition will be the first time a spacecraft has orbited a moon other than our own. Josef Aschbacher, European Space Agency director-general, is proud of Europe for sending JUICE, the biggest mission of the decade and the most complex ever sent to Jupiter, which was a rollercoaster.
