The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) from the European Space Agency is on its way, following a successful launch at 12:14 UTC on 14 April from French Guiana.
The launch was scheduled for the previous day, but was put on hold due to bad weather. The spacecraft unfurled its solar wings around 90 minutes later, but it will spend the next few months deploying and testing its instruments as its continues its journey to Jupiter.
It will have plenty of time, as JUICE will not arrive at the planet until July 2031. It will conduct several fly-bys of the icy moons Europa, Callisto and Ganymede, taking detailed measurements of their surface geology, composition and magnetic fields. It will then eventually enter orbit around Ganymede in December 2034.
The mission is the first dedicated to studying these icy worlds. One key area of study is the liquid water oceans thought to lie beneath the surface of all three moons, considered to be one of the most likely places to find life beyond our planet.
“The treasure trove of data that ESA’s JUICE will provide will enable the science community worldwide to dig in and uncover the mysteries of the Jovian system, explore the nature and habitability of oceans on other worlds and answer questions yet unasked by future generations of scientists,” says Carole Mundell, ESA’s director of science. www.esa.int