Ariane 5 delivers JUICE to Jupiter [Live: 14.04.2023, 12:14 UTC]

Objective

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is a mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) to explore three of Jupiter’s moons:

Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System, with 318 times the mass of Earth and 12 times the diameter. As a gas planet with a mass of 0,001 times the Sun, it was close to turning into a sun itself (at around 0,08 times the mass of the Sun).

Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System, with twice the mass of Earth’s Moon and 1,5 times the diameter. It even has a magnetic field. JUICE will eventually terminate its mission by crashing into Ganymede at the end of 2035.

The main motivator is the search for life beyond Earth. Key to Earth developing a habitable environment for life as we understand is energy, water and salts.

These three moons of Jupiter have liquid water trapped under ice shields and they receive energy through gravitational interactions with Jupiter.

Could there have been, is there or can there ever be life? Could it sustain future space travelers?

Scott Manley: European Space Agency Looking For Life In Jupiter's Moons

Mission

JUICE will launch on the second to last flight of an Ariane 5 rocket.

Ariane 5 used to be the most powerful rocket until Falcon Heavy came into service and only Atlas V has a better track record of launch successes.

JUICE will be the largest spacecraft sent into deep space. The total spacecraft has a mass of 5’963 kg ( 2’405 kg dry mass).

Arrival at the Jupiter system in October 2029. It takes eight years because the payload needs to be captured by the Jupiter system and therefore can’t be too fast.
The Voyager probes completed the distance to the Jovian system a lot faster because they were on a trajectory to leave our Solar System.