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Fact file

Type

Space probe

Launch

14 April 2023

Interesting facts about JUICE

• JUICE is the Jupiter mission of the European Space Agency ESA – the name stands for “JUpiter ICy moons Explorer”.
• It is set to be the first probe to orbit a moon other than our own: Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System.
• Swiss researchers are involved too: the University of Bern helped build an instrument that studies the moons' thin envelopes of gas.

Frequently asked questions about JUICE

The mission

An ESA mission, launched in 2023 on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou.

Technology and flight

On its way, in 2024, it became the first probe to gain speed at the Moon AND Earth in quick succession.

Discoveries

It studies Ganymede, Callisto and Europa and searches for oceans beneath their layers of ice.

For comparison

Its solar panels cover 85 m² – as much as a three-room flat – because only a little sunlight reaches Jupiter.

Mission milestones

1. 14 April 2023Launch at Earth

   Launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou (French Guiana).

2. 20 August 2024Moon and Earth at Earth

   First double swing-by of the Moon and Earth – a world first.

3. 31 August 2025Venus at Venus

   Swing-by of Venus.

4. 29 September 2026Earth at Earth

   Swing-by of Earth.

5. 18 January 2029Earth (again) at Earth

   Last swing-by of Earth (planned).

6. 15 July 2031Arrival at Jupiter at Jupiter

   Entering orbit around Jupiter (planned).

7. 15 December 2034Around Ganymede

   JUICE is set to be the first probe to orbit a moon other than our own: Ganymede (planned).

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