ESA's JUICE mission advances toward Jupiter's icy moons

The European Space Agency (ESA) is progressing with its Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, which aims to study the icy moons of Jupiter. Following a successful gravitational assist around Venus in August 2025, the spacecraft is now preparing for a planned Earth flyby in September 2026. These maneuvers are essential to adjust the probe's speed and trajectory without consuming excessive fuel.

Launched on April 14, 2023, from Kourou, French Guiana, the 6,000-kilogram spacecraft is scheduled to reach the Jovian system in 2031. The mission's primary scientific objectives include investigating Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto. Researchers are particularly interested in these moons due to evidence of subsurface liquid oceans and the potential for habitable environments. Ganymede is of specific interest because it possesses its own magnetic field.