ESA’s 6-Tonne Spacecraft to Slingshot Past Earth, Moon to Jupiter

The European Space Agency's Juice probe, launched in April 2023, is set to perform a world-first manoeuvre as it returns to Earth and the Moon before heading to Jupiter. The six-tonne spacecraft, currently 10 million kilometres from Earth, will use gravity boosts from both Earth and the Moon to save fuel on its eight-year journey, arriving at Jupiter in July 2031. This "double gravity assist manoeuvre" has been meticulously calculated over the years to navigate the Solar System efficiently.

The Juice mission aims to investigate whether Jupiter's icy moons—Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa—could host extra-terrestrial life in their oceans. Due to the absence of a powerful rocket capable of a direct journey, the spacecraft will rely on gravity assists to propel it toward its destination. Once at Jupiter, Juice will use an additional 35 gravitational assists to travel around the planet's moons. Ground teams will monitor the spacecraft closely, with a 12-18 hour window to adjust its trajectory if necessary, ensuring the mission stays on course.