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juice
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
Launch

14 April 2023

status

En route to Jupiter

destination

Arrival in July 2031

type

Planetary explorer

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Juice, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, is on its way to Jupiter's system to make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Equipped with a varied suite of instruments, the mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats. It will explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.
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a unique mission
What makes **Juice** unique?

Juice will complete a number of space navigation firsts. It has already performed the first ever lunar-Earth gravity assist en-route to Jupiter, a double-flyby designed to save propellant. Once in the Jupiter system and having completed its observations from around Jupiter, it will become the first spacecraft ever to change orbits from a planet to a moon. In switching orbits from Jupiter to its largest moon Ganymede, it will also become the first spacecraft to orbit a moon other than our own. This smart manoeuvring sets Juice on course to maximise the scientific return of the mission, bringing us closer to understanding if the conditions for life exist elsewhere in the Solar System.

Juice’s double flyby makes its trajectory and mission unique. Credit: ESA.

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science questions
What questions are we addressing?

We want to uncover the secrets of Jupiter system by addressing key questions that will characterise the habitability of this giant planet and its moons:

Characterise ocean worlds:
What are Jupiter’s ocean worlds like? Why is Ganymede so unique?

Understand planet-moon interactions:
How has Jupiter’s complex environment shaped its moons, and vice versa?

Study gas giant formation:
What is a typical gas giant planet like – how did it form, and does it work?

Assess habitability of the Jupiter system:
Could there be – or ever have been – life in the Jupiter system?

method & instruments
How are we conducting the science?

Juice will use remote sensing, geophysical measurements, and in-situ analysis to study Jupiter and its icy moons. It will map surfaces with high-resolution imaging, probe subsurface oceans with radar, and analyse magnetic fields and particle environments. By studying Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, Juice will investigate their potential habitability and the interactions between Jupiter and its moons.

The spacecraft is equipped with 11 science instruments:
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Planetary Radio Interferometer & Doppler Experiment (PRIDE)
Will perform precise measurements of the spacecraft’s position and velocity to investigate the moons’ ephemerides. gravity fields, and atmospheres.
Principal Investigator: G. Cimo, Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands
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Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME)
Will study the subsurface structure of the icy moons down to a depth of around 9 km.
Principal Investigator: L. Bruzzone, Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy
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Gravity & Geophysics of Jupiter and Galilean Moons (3GM)
Will study the gravity fields of Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, investigate the dynamics and inside structure of these moons, as well as the structure of the neutral atmospheres and ionospheres of Jupiter and its moons.
Principal Investigator: L. Iess, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy
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Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation (RPWI)
Will characterise the radio emission and plasma environment of Jupiter and its icy moons using a suite of sensors and probes.
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Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument (SWI)
Will investigate the temperature, structure, composition and dynamics of Jupiter's atmosphere, and the exospheres and surfaces of the icy moons.
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Particle Environment Package (PEP)
Will characterise the plasma environment of the whole Jupiter system by measuring ions, electrons, and neutral particles.
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Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS)
Will characterise the composition of the icy moons’ surfaces, observe cloud features, atmospheric constituents and auroras on Jupiter, the ring system and small moons.
Principal Investigator: F. Poulet, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, Orsay, France
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GAnymede Laser Altimeter (GALA)
Will study the tidal deformation of Ganymede and the topography of the surfaces of the icy moons.
Principal Investigator: P. Palumbo, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Parthenope", Italy
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Magnetometer (J-MAG)
Will characterise the interactions between the Jovian magnetosphere and the icy moons, study Ganymede's internal magnetic field, and characterise the subsurface oceans of Ganymede and Callisto.
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UV imaging Spectrograph (UVS)
Will characterise the composition and dynamics of the exospheres of the icy moons, study the Jovian aurorae, and investigate the composition and structure of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.
Principal Investigator: K. Retherford, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, USA

Credit: ESA/ATG. Instruments list: Gravity & Geophysics of Jupiter and Galilean Moons radio (3GM), GAnymede Laser Altimeter (GALA), Optical camera system (JANUS), Magnetometer (J-MAG), Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS), Particle Environment Package (PEP), Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME), Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation (RPWI), Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument (SWI), UV imaging Spectrograph (UVS), Planetary Radio Interferometer & Doppler Experiment (PRIDE)

Juice is on its way to Jupiter and its giant moons. Track Juice:

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scientific context

Juice stands on the shoulders of Cassini-Huygens, which provided hints of subsurface oceans on moons like Enceladus. Juice goes further by focusing on the habitability of Jupiter’s icy moons – especially Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. It will be the first spacecraft to orbit a moon other than Earth’s, paving the way for even more ambitious missions, including the planned lander to Enceladus, to deepen our search for life in the outer Solar System.

science highlights
What have we discovered so far?
While Juice is cruising to the Jupiter system, explore the key milestones the mission has already achieved:

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first ever
First-ever double Moon-Earth flyby
On 19–20 August 2024, Juice successfully completed a world-first lunar-Earth flyby.
15 July 2024
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MOVIE TIME
Watch the first episode of The Journey of Juice
This first episode of ‘The journey of Juice’ tells the story of Juice’s first months in space, from its launch on 14 April 2023 to its lunar-Earth gravity assist in August 2024.
27 September 2024
building the mission

Juice is a European mission, built and operated by ESA. A consortium of European scientific institutions provided instruments and is involved in data analysis. NASA, JAXA (Japan), and other space agencies contributed instruments and various components to the mission.​ ESA selected Airbus as prime contractor for the construction of the satellite.

Gérard the sloth steals the spotlight from the launch. Credit: ESA/N.Drake/GérardTheSloth.

did you know?
A sloth tries to steal the show

On 14 April 2023, as engineers readied Juice's Ariane 5 launcher for its journey to Jupiter, a sloth appeared near the launch site, briefly interrupting proceedings and charming onlookers. Photographs captured the sloth's serene presence juxtaposed against the high-tech surroundings, highlighting the unexpected and delightful moment amidst the serious business of space exploration.

more about juice
Keep exploring the mission's science
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more about space science
Discover our science missions

Explore a subset of the ESA Science Programme missions here. Additional mission pages are in progress.
The currently available mission pages are ESA's flagship missions launched from 2013 and to be launched (L-class), and the ones in development (M- and F-class).

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Solar Orbiter is studying the Sun up close, collecting high-resolution images and data from our star and its heliosphere.
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Envision will provide a complete view of Venus from its inner core to upper atmosphere to determine how and why Venus and Earth evolved so differently.
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Plato will study terrestrial planets in orbits up to the habitable zone of Sun-like stars, and characterise these stars.
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NewAthena will map hot gas structures to determine their physical properties, and search for supermassive black holes.
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Smile will build a complete understanding of the Sun-Earth connection by measuring the solar wind and its dynamic interaction with the magnetosphere.
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Ariel will perform a chemical census of a large and diverse sample of exoplanets by analysing their atmospheres.
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Visiting a pristine comet
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Comet Interceptor will be the first mission to fly by a pristine comet as it enters the inner Solar System.
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First gravitational wave detector in space
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ESA's billion star surveyor
Gaia
Gaia is determining the position of nearly two billion objects, creating the largest and most precise 3D map of the Milky Way.
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Exploring the habitability of Saturn’s Icy Moons
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The first flagship mission of Voyage 2050 will explore Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, searching for clues about the potential for life.
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Exploring the dark Universe
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Euclid is exploring the nature of dark energy and dark matter, revealing the history of the Universe’s accelerated expansion and the growth of cosmic structure.
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