Earth-Moon flyby for this probe en route to Jupiter
Juice is on his way to the icy moons of Jupiter. However, it has to pass by the Moon and then Venus, to take a shortcut to the system of the solar system's largest planet. Successful catapulting.
The European space probe Juice has successfully completed a first in the history of space exploration: a Moon-Earth flyby. The closest approach to the Moon took place on the night of August 19-20. 24 hours later, Juice came within 6840 km of the Earth over South-East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. This maneuver uses the Earth's gravity, without the probe being attracted to our planet, to propel it naturally. It is now heading for Venus. The rendezvous with the sister planet is scheduled for August 2025. This is the next stage of its journey towards Jupiter.
Two more passes
Before reaching the Jovian system, Juice will return to Earth in September 2026 and December 2029 for further fuel-saving boosts. Its arrival at Jupiter is scheduled for July 2031. Juice was launched in August 2023 by Ariane 5. It will study Jupiter and its environment before entering orbit around its satellite Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, between December 2034 and September 2035.
(MH with Olivier Duquesne - Source/Picture: © ESA)
