The ESA's Juice mission status

Following its launch on April 14, 2023, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket, the European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission is on its way to rendezvous with the Jupiter system in 2031. JUICE will investigate the conditions that may have led to habitable environments on Jupiter's icy moons—Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. Equipped with a comprehensive suite of 10 state-of-the-art scientific instruments and one experiment, the spacecraft will study the Jupiter system, including the planet's atmosphere and magnetosphere together with the structure and local environments of the Galilean moons, to better understand the complex interactions at play.

Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System, will be the primary target of the mission due to its potential as a natural laboratory for studying icy worlds and water worlds. Its unique magnetic interactions with Jupiter, coupled with its role within the Galilean satellite system, make it an invaluable target for exploration.

JUICE’s 8-year journey includes four gravity assists, and the first one, a first of its kind Lunar-Earth flyby, took place in August 2024. At that time, JUICE passed 750 km above the Moon and 6,800 km above Earth, operating all instruments successfully and confirming their excellent scientific performances.

Upon arrival at Jupiter, JUICE will perform 62 orbits spread over more than three years, performing numerous flybys of Europa (2), Callisto (23), and Ganymede (11), before entering into orbit around Ganymede for an additional 10 months; this final orbit will be initially elliptical and circular at high altitude, followed by a 5-month period in circular orbit at altitudes of 500 km and then 200 km.

This presentation will provide an overview of JUICE’s mission objectives, its past activities and current status, as well as the next steps in the mission cruise phase.