Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
	Artist's impression of the Juice spacecraft
Names	JUICE
Mission type	Planetary science
Operator	ESA
COSPAR ID	2023-053A
SATCAT no.	56176
Mission duration	Cruise phase: 8 years; Science phase: 3.5 years; Elapsed: 1 year, 2 months and 23 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Airbus Defence and Space
Launch mass	6,070 kg (13,380 lb)
Dry mass	2,420 kg (5,340 lb)
Dimensions	16.8 x 27.1 x 13.7 meters
Power	850 watts from a solar panel ~85 m2 (910 sq ft)
Start of mission
Launch date	14 April 2023 12:14:36 UTC
Rocket	Ariane 5 ECA
Launch site	Centre Spatial Guyanais, ELA-3
Contractor	Arianespace
Flyby of Moon
Closest approach	19 August 2024
Flyby of Earth
Closest approach	20 August 2024
Flyby of Venus
Closest approach	31 August 2025
Flyby of Earth
Closest approach	29 September 2026
Flyby of Earth
Closest approach	18 January 2029
Jupiter orbiter
Orbital insertion	July 2031 (planned)
Orbital departure	December 2034 (planned)
Ganymede orbiter
Orbital insertion	December 2034 (planned)
Orbital parameters
Periapsis altitude	500 km (310 mi)
Apoapsis altitude	500 km (310 mi)
GALA
Instruments
GALA	GAnymede Laser Altimeter
JANUS	Jovis, Amorum ac Natorum Undique Scrutator
J-MAG	JUICE-MAGnetometer
MAJIS	Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer
PEP	Particle Environment Package
RIME	Radar for Icy Moons Exploration
RPWI	Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation
SWI	Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument
UVS	UV imaging Spectrograph
3GM	Gravity and Geophysics of Jupiter and Galilean Moons
	; Juice mission insignia Cosmic Vision ← Euclid SMILE →

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice, formerly JUICE^[3]) is an interplanetary spacecraft on its way to orbit and study three icy moons of Jupiter: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. These planetary-mass moons are planned to be studied because they are thought to have beneath their frozen surfaces significant bodies of liquid water, which would make them potentially habitable for extraterrestrial life.^[4]^[5]

JUICE is the first interplanetary spacecraft to the outer Solar System planets not launched by the United States and the first set to orbit a moon other than Earth's Moon. Launched by the European Space Agency (ESA), from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on 14 April 2023, with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor,^[6]^[7] it is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031 after four gravity assists and eight years of travel.^[8]^[9] In December 2034, the spacecraft will enter orbit around Ganymede for its close-up science mission.^[8] Its period of operations will overlap with NASA's Europa Clipper mission, launching in 2024.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "NASA – NSSDCA – Spacecraft – Details". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ "European Space Agency: Blast off for Jupiter icy moons mission". BBC News. 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
^ "Juice, exploring Jupiter's icy moons". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
^ Clark, Stuart (5 March 2023). "'It's like finding needles in a haystack': the mission to discover if Jupiter's moons support life". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
^ "ESA—Selection of the L1 mission" (PDF). ESA. 17 April 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
^ "ESA's Juice lifts off on quest to discover secrets of Jupiter's icy moons". ESA. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
^ "JUICE. Searching for life on Jupiter's icy moons". www.airbus.com. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Juice's journey and Jupiter system tour". ESA. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
^ "JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE)". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA. 28 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.

[nssdca-1] "NASA – NSSDCA – Spacecraft – Details". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[bbc-20230214-2] "European Space Agency: Blast off for Jupiter icy moons mission". BBC News. 14 April 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.

[3] "Juice, exploring Jupiter's icy moons". The Planetary Society. Retrieved 30 April 2023.

[TG-20230305-4] Clark, Stuart (5 March 2023). "'It's like finding needles in a haystack': the mission to discover if Jupiter's moons support life". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.

[l1-5] "ESA—Selection of the L1 mission" (PDF). ESA. 17 April 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2012.

[6] "ESA's Juice lifts off on quest to discover secrets of Jupiter's icy moons". ESA. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.

[7] "JUICE. Searching for life on Jupiter's icy moons". www.airbus.com. 27 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.

[juice-journey-8] "Juice's journey and Jupiter system tour". ESA. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.

[9] "JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE)". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. NASA. 28 October 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.

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