Watch the live launch of the new JUICE mission to Jupiter this week

Find out when the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission is launching and how to watch it live.

By Iain Todd

Published: Tuesday, 11 April 2023 at 12:00 am

On 13 April 2023 ESA’s JUICE mission is due to launch at 12:15 UTC / 13:15 BST / 14:15 CEST from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

When it launches, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer will be 8 eight years from its final destination.

The mission is preparing to explore Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, and its icy Galilean moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Find out more about the science in our guide to the JUICE mission.

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Artist’s impression of the JUICE mission exploring Jupiter’s moons. Credit: ESA/ATG Medialab, Getty Images

These moons are thought to host subsurface oceans, meaning they are prime locations in the Solar System to search for habitable conditions and the signs of life.

JUICE will swoop past Callisto, Ganymede and Europa before inserting into orbit around Ganymede in 2034.

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A view of Ganymede captured by NASA’s Galileo probe, 26 June 1996. Credit: NASA/JPL

JUICE mission launch times

JUICE launch times

All times are in UTC on 13 April 2023 and supplied by the European Space Agency.

  • 12:15 – JUICE launches atop its Ariane 5 rocket
  • 12:42 – JUICE separates from the Ariane 5 upper stage
  • 12:51 – Earliest time ESA scientists expect to receive JUICE signal
  • 13:55 – Expected completion of solar array deployment

How to watch the JUICE launch live online

The European Space Agency will be live streaming the launch and you can watch all the action online via YouTube or ESA Web TV, with pre-launch coverage beginning at 11:45 UTC on 13 April 2023.

ESA Web TV