European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe has completed an unprecedented dual flyby of both the Moon and Earth, marking a significant milestone in space exploration. This manoeuvre, hailed as the world’s first lunar-Earth flyby, signifies the beginning of JUICE’s long journey to Jupiter, where it will search for signs of life on the planet’s icy moons.
On August 19, JUICE made its closest approach to the Moon at 23:15 CEST (2:45 a.m. IST on August 21), followed by a close pass of Earth just over 24 hours later, at 23:56 CEST on August 20 (3:26 a.m. IST on August 21). During this time, JUICE utilized eight of its ten instruments to collect scientific data while flying 6,840 km above Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. The spacecraft also captured stunning images of its surroundings using its onboard monitoring cameras.
Ignacio Tanco, the mission’s spacecraft operations manager, expressed his excitement over the flawless execution of the gravity-assist flyby, stating, “We were thrilled to see JUICE coming back so close to Earth. The gravity assist flyby was flawless; everything went without a hitch.”
Launched on April 13 last year, JUICE is ESA’s first mission dedicated to exploring the potential for life on the icy moons of Jupiter. The successful lunar-Earth flyby represents a crucial step in the probe’s journey, serving as a “braking manoeuvre” that will propel JUICE towards Jupiter via Venus, saving time and fuel.
The primary purpose of this flyby was to alter JUICE’s speed and trajectory using the gravitational forces of the Moon and Earth, effectively rerouting the spacecraft towards its ultimate destination. During the Moon flyby, JUICE’s monitoring camera 1 captured detailed images of lunar craters, while the spacecraft’s speed increased by 0.9 km/s relative to the Sun, setting JUICE on its path towards Earth and eventually Jupiter.
This innovative flyby technique underscores the complexity and precision required in space missions, and ESA’s successful execution of this manoeuvre highlights the agency’s expertise in deep space exploration. As JUICE continues its journey, the scientific community eagerly anticipates the wealth of data it will collect on Jupiter’s moons, potentially unveiling clues about the existence of extraterrestrial life.
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