JUICE space probe to fly past Moon and Earth
Historic flybys on August 19-20, 2024
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE (JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer) space probe will undertake its first-ever double flyby of the Moon and Earth on August 19 and 20, 2024.
This mission marks a world premiere as JUICE utilises the gravitational forces of these two celestial bodies to adjust its trajectory towards Venus and, eventually, Jupiter.
The manoeuvre, LEGA (Lunar-Earth Gravity Assist), will see JUICE first pass within 750km of the Moon’s surface before rapidly accelerating towards Earth. The spacecraft will approach Earth at 15,000km per hour, coming as close as 6,800km to our planet. This dual flyby is designed to save fuel and alter JUICE’s path efficiently as it heads towards its ultimate destination, Jupiter.
The flybys will also be a critical test for JUICE’s scientific instruments. The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has contributed substantially to the tested equipment, including the JANUS camera and the GALA laser altimeter. The instruments will gather data to ensure functionality and calibrate their performance for future observations.
Additional flybys
JUICE’s journey includes additional flybys, with encounters scheduled at Venus in 2025 and Earth again in 2026 and 2029 before it arrives at Jupiter in 2031. This intricate path through the Solar System is intended to maximise the probe’s velocity and efficiency in reaching Jupiter, where it will study the gas giant and its icy moons—Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—until 2035.
The LEGA manoeuvre is managed by ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
The precision required for this double flyby is unprecedented, with JUICE’s path monitored every second between August 17 and 22, 2024. JUICE will be communicated via ground stations in Spain, Australia, and Argentina during the manoeuvre. However, the spacecraft will experience a 38-minute communication blackout in the Moon’s shadow during its closest approach.
Spotting JUICE
Amateur astronomers in Europe and Southeast Asia may be able to spot JUICE during this manoeuvre. The spacecraft will appear as a fast-moving light point, observable through powerful binoculars or telescopes.
The JUICE mission, launched on April 14, 2023, from Kourou, French Guiana, represents ESA’s most ambitious planetary exploration effort. Weighing over five tonnes, JUICE has already travelled more than one billion kilometres since its launch.
Germany plays a significant role in this mission, contributing approximately 21% of the funding and development efforts, including critical components for the JANUS camera and the GALA laser altimeter.
The mission represents a substantial collaboration among various international institutions and showcases Europe’s commitment to advancing space exploration and scientific discovery.
Featured image: ESA’s JUICE space probe will reach the Jupiter system in 2031, eight years after its launch in April 2023. In the first phase of the mission, the orbiter will complete 35 close flybys of the three large icy moons: Callisto (top-right), Europa (in front of Jupiter’s clouds) and Ganymede (in the foreground). The volcanic moon Io (left) can only be observed from a distance due to the high radiation intensity close to Jupiter. In the mission’s second phase, JUICE will be guided from a planetary orbit into a lunar orbit around Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System, in 2034 and 2035. There, the spacecraft will first observe the moon from an altitude of 5,000km, then 500km and – depending on fuel reserves – perhaps even from an altitude of 200km. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab (Sonde); NASA/JPL/DLR (Jupiter, Monde)
