The European Space Agency (ESA) is all set to launch the much-awaited space missions to explore Jupiter and three of its icy moons: Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. Europa, Callisto and Ganymede are Jupiter’s three of its biggest moons.
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission will launch on April 13 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana in South America.
The spacecraft will take a 6.6 billion km journey lasting 8.5 years. The Juice will arrive at Jupiter in 2031. It will then conduct 35 flybys of Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede before settling permanently around Ganymede in late 2034.
It has been mounted onto the Ariane 5 rocket that will carry it into space.
Aerospace company Airbus has spearheaded the construction of JUpiter ICy moons Explorer.
• Features of the spacecraft:
- It has been fuelled with mono-methyl hydrazine (MMH) fuel and mixed oxides of nitrogen (MON) oxidizer, which ignites when the two come in contact. Juice will use this propellant to make critical course manoeuvres on its journey.
- It will be packed with 10 scientific instruments and will characterize Jupiter’s ocean-bearing icy moons.
- It will be launched onboard the Ariane-5 rocket, a workhorse for the European Space Agency.
Ganymede: A Unique Moon
- Largest Moon in Solar System
- It has a diameter of 5,268 km (3,273 mi)
- Thought to have an iron core
- Geological records spans billion of years
US mission Clipper
The US space agency Nasa is also sending its own satellite called Clipper which will launch in 2024 and focus on Europa.
