<p>The JUICE mission of the European Space Agency is set to complete a new manoeuvre and break two records.</p>

<p>This is the first time the spacecraft will use two objects to carry out a gravity assist maneuver,&nbsp;and for the first time, it will also attempt Lunar-Earth flyby.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Lunar-Earth Gravity Assist (LEGA) is likely to save JUICE many propellants, which the mission will use at a later stage.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-issues-sudden-alert-as-massive-asteroid-rushes-to-come-too-close-to-earth-at-scary-speed-749113">NASA issues sudden alert as massive asteroid rushes to come too close to Earth at scary speed</a></p>

<p>This is a tough manoeuvre which was first planned 15 years ago and for this, the spacecraft should be launched at a precise second so that it is able to find the Earth and the Moon in the correct position.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>How ESA's JUICE mission will fly by the Moon and Earth?</strong></h2>

<p>The spacecraft will first go around the Moon at 21:16 UTC on Monday evening (August 19) while losing some of its speed.</p>

<p>After 25 hours, it is expected to approach Earth. Because of Earth, it will slow down further and go towards Venus, however, there will be no room for errors.</p>

<p>“It’s like passing through a very narrow corridor, very, very quickly: pushing the accelerator to the maximum when the margin at the side of the road is just millimetres," said Spacecraft Operations Manager, Ignacio Tanco, in a&nbsp;statement.</p>

<p>“It’s a very important mission because we want to find out whether there are habitable places inside the icy moons, so Europa, Ganymede, or Callisto. That’s the main question of the mission,” said Dr Olivier Witasse, who is a planetary scientist working on the scientific aspects of the mission,&nbsp;while speaking to IFLScience.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/earth-slows-down-by-133-milliseconds-741345/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>According to the team, the fuel saved in this manoeuvre will help the JUICE mission orbit at nearly 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the surface of Jupiter's moon Ganymede because of which the spacecraft will be able to make precise observations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With the help of the flyby, the spacecraft will get in the right orbit and speed will make sure that the instruments are working well. This means that the scientists will be able to test a whole set of instruments during the flyby.</p>

<p>“This could not be done in the lab. This will be an excellent test to check the performance of the radar in the context of the full spacecraft operating,”&nbsp;said Nicolas Altobelli, planetary scientist with ESA, while speaking at a press conference.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The JUICE mission of the European Space Agency is set to complete a new manoeuvre and break two records. This is the first time the spacecraft will use two objects to carry out a gravity assist maneuver, and for the first time, it will also attempt Lunar-Earth flyby.

The JUICE mission of the European Space Agency is set to complete a new manoeuvre and break two records. This is the first time the spacecraft will use two objects to carry out a gravity assist maneuver, and for the first time, it will also attempt Lunar-Earth flyby. The Lunar-Earth Gravity Assist (LEGA) is likely to save JUICE many propellants, which the mission will use at a later stage. Also Read: NASA issues sudden alert as massive asteroid rushes to come too close to Earth at scary speed This is a tough manoeuvre which was first planned 15 years ago and for this, the spacecraft should be launched at a precise second so that it is able to find the Earth and the Moon in the correct position. How ESA's JUICE mission will fly by the Moon and Earth? The spacecraft will first go around the Moon at 21:16 UTC on Monday evening (August 19) while losing some of its speed. After 25 hours, it is expected to approach Earth. Because of Earth, it will slow down further and go towards Venus, however, there will be no room for errors. “It’s like passing through a very narrow corridor, very, very quickly: pushing the accelerator to the maximum when the margin at the side of the road is just millimetres," said Spacecraft Operations Manager, Ignacio Tanco, in a statement. “It’s a very important mission because we want to find out whether there are habitable places inside the icy moons, so Europa, Ganymede, or Callisto. That’s the main question of the mission,” said Dr Olivier Witasse, who is a planetary scientist working on the scientific aspects of the mission, while speaking to IFLScience. Watch: Earth slows down by 1.33 milliseconds According to the team, the fuel saved in this manoeuvre will help the JUICE mission orbit at nearly 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the surface of Jupiter's moon Ganymede because of which the spacecraft will be able to make precise observations. With the help of the flyby, the spacecraft will get in the right orbit and speed will make sure that the instruments are working well. This means that the scientists will be able to test a whole set of instruments during the flyby. “This could not be done in the lab. This will be an excellent test to check the performance of the radar in the context of the full spacecraft operating,” said Nicolas Altobelli, planetary scientist with ESA, while speaking at a press conference. (With inputs from agencies)

ESA's JUICE mission is set to attempt first-ever Lunar-Earth flyby. Here's how it will impact planet

<p>European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe will use double gravity assist, for the first time ever, from Earth and Moon to propel itself towards Jupiter. The gas giant-bound spacecraft was launched earlier this year, to study the planet as well as its three icy and potentially ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Setting the stage</strong></h2>

<p>Last week, the JUICE probe performed what the ESA described as its “largest and most important manoeuvres in its eight-year journey to Jupiter.”&nbsp;</p>

<p>The manoeuvre was a 43-minute burn using its main engine and around 10 per cent of the probe’s entire fuel reserve to change its orbit around the Sun ahead of its flyby and set the stage for next summer’s Earth-Moon double gravity assist.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This manoeuvre used up roughly 363 kilograms of fuel – or almost exactly 10% of the 3,650 kilograms of fuel that JUICE was launched with,” Julia Schwartz, Flight Dynamics Engineer at ESA’s ESOC mission control centre in Germany, said in a statement.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/explained-get-the-dope-on-juice-europes-mission-to-find-aliens-582516">Explained | Get the dope on JUICE, Europe’s mission to find aliens</a></strong></p>

<p>The move on November 17, marked the first of a two-part manoeuvre, which is a first-of-its-kind flyby where the probe will first pass by the Moon to gain momentum and make the flyby Earth a day and a half later.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“This first burn did 95% of the work, changing Juice’s velocity by almost 200 m/s,” Schwartz added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ESA scientist explained that given that JUICE is among the heaviest interplanetary spacecraft ever launched with a total weight of around 6000 kg, “it took a lot of force and a lot of fuel to achieve this.”</p>

<p>Gravity assist is a technique by which a spacecraft, with the help of the gravitational field of a planet, gets a speed boost.</p>

<p>However, it is tricky to do so, to execute a gravity assist, the spacecraft needs to pass through the planet’s gravitational field at a carefully calibrated exact point in order to get a “slingshot effect.”</p>

<p>This means that JUICE would have to arrive at the Earth-Moon system at precisely the correct time, and speed and be travelling in the correct direction.</p>

<h2><strong>What’s next?</strong></h2>

<p>While most of the work is done, the next step involves a second, much smaller manoeuvre which is necessary to put JUICE on the right trajectory for the Earth-Moon gravity assist. “Splitting the manoeuvre into two parts allows us to use the second firing of the engine to iron out any inaccuracies of the first,” the ESA engineer explained.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/esa-juice-mission-delayed-by-24-hours-due-to-bad-weather-582177">ESA JUICE mission delayed by 24 hours due to bad weather</a></strong></p>

<p>A much smaller manoeuvre would also be executed using Juice’s smaller thrusters in May 2024 for the final fine-tuning of the probe’s trajectory during its approach to Earth, said the ESA.</p>

<h2><strong>About the JUICE mission</strong></h2>

<p>ESA successfully launched its JUICE spacecraft from its spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on April 14.&nbsp;</p>

<p>JUICE aims to make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons and is equipped with remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments, but given the distance between the home planet and the gas giant, it won’t be able to do so before 2031.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
<em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe will use double gravity assist, for the first time ever, from Earth and Moon to propel itself towards Jupiter.

European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe will use double gravity assist, for the first time ever, from Earth and Moon to propel itself towards Jupiter. The gas giant-bound spacecraft was launched earlier this year, to study the planet as well as its three icy and potentially ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Setting the stage Last week, the JUICE probe performed what the ESA described as its “largest and most important manoeuvres in its eight-year journey to Jupiter.” The manoeuvre was a 43-minute burn using its main engine and around 10 per cent of the probe’s entire fuel reserve to change its orbit around the Sun ahead of its flyby and set the stage for next summer’s Earth-Moon double gravity assist. “This manoeuvre used up roughly 363 kilograms of fuel – or almost exactly 10% of the 3,650 kilograms of fuel that JUICE was launched with,” Julia Schwartz, Flight Dynamics Engineer at ESA’s ESOC mission control centre in Germany, said in a statement. ALSO READ | Explained | Get the dope on JUICE, Europe’s mission to find aliens The move on November 17, marked the first of a two-part manoeuvre, which is a first-of-its-kind flyby where the probe will first pass by the Moon to gain momentum and make the flyby Earth a day and a half later. “This first burn did 95% of the work, changing Juice’s velocity by almost 200 m/s,” Schwartz added. The ESA scientist explained that given that JUICE is among the heaviest interplanetary spacecraft ever launched with a total weight of around 6000 kg, “it took a lot of force and a lot of fuel to achieve this.” Gravity assist is a technique by which a spacecraft, with the help of the gravitational field of a planet, gets a speed boost. However, it is tricky to do so, to execute a gravity assist, the spacecraft needs to pass through the planet’s gravitational field at a carefully calibrated exact point in order to get a “slingshot effect.” This means that JUICE would have to arrive at the Earth-Moon system at precisely the correct time, and speed and be travelling in the correct direction. What’s next? While most of the work is done, the next step involves a second, much smaller manoeuvre which is necessary to put JUICE on the right trajectory for the Earth-Moon gravity assist. “Splitting the manoeuvre into two parts allows us to use the second firing of the engine to iron out any inaccuracies of the first,” the ESA engineer explained. ALSO READ | ESA JUICE mission delayed by 24 hours due to bad weather A much smaller manoeuvre would also be executed using Juice’s smaller thrusters in May 2024 for the final fine-tuning of the probe’s trajectory during its approach to Earth, said the ESA. About the JUICE mission ESA successfully launched its JUICE spacecraft from its spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on April 14. JUICE aims to make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons and is equipped with remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments, but given the distance between the home planet and the gas giant, it won’t be able to do so before 2031. (With inputs from agencies)

Europe’s JUICE probe set to use first-ever ‘double gravity assist’ from Earth and Moon for launch to Jupiter

<p>The European Space Agency (ESA) launched its JUICE probe in&nbsp;second launch attempt that took place on Friday (April 14). The first attempt was called off on April 13 due to threat of lightning.&nbsp;The launch took place from European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana&nbsp;at 9:14 am local time (1214 GMT). JUICE probe was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket.</p>

<p>ESA posted video of the launch on its Twitter handle.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Another view of <a href="https://twitter.com/ariane5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ariane5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VA260?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VA260</a> liftoff and ascent. For real-time mission updates, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/Arianespace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Arianespace</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ESA_JUICE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESA_JUICE</a> 👍 <a href="https://t.co/1YCuYhPr2h">pic.twitter.com/1YCuYhPr2h</a></p>
— ESA (@esa) <a href="https://twitter.com/esa/status/1646851886945820673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<p>The probe separated as planned at an altitude of 1,500 kilometres (930 miles), 27 minutes after launching from Europe's spaceport in Kourou.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Stephane Israel, the CEO of French firm Arianespace in charge of the rocket, said it meant the launch was "a success".</p>

<p>The JUICE mission is aimed at investigating Jupiter's icy moons and Jupiter itself. Scientists think that these moons cover oceans of liquid water underneath. According to our current understanding, where there is water, there might be life.</p>

<p>The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) plans to take a long and winding path to the gas giant, which is 628 million kilometres (390 million miles) from Earth.</p>

<p>It will use several gravitational boosts along the way, first by doing a fly-by of Earth and the Moon, then by sling-shotting around Venus in 2025 before swinging past Earth again in 2029.</p>

<p>When the probe finally enters Jupiter's orbit in July 2031, its 10 scientific instruments will analyse the Solar System's largest planet as well as its three icy moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p>You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form"><strong>here</strong></a>.<br />
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The European Space Agency (ESA) launched its JUICE probe in second launch attempt that took place on Friday (April 14). The first attempt was called off on April 13 due to threat of lightning.

The European Space Agency (ESA) launched its JUICE probe in second launch attempt that took place on Friday (April 14). The first attempt was called off on April 13 due to threat of lightning. The launch took place from European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana at 9:14 am local time (1214 GMT). JUICE probe was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket. ESA posted video of the launch on its Twitter handle. Another view of @ariane5 #VA260 liftoff and ascent. For real-time mission updates, follow @Arianespace and @ESA_JUICE 👍 pic.twitter.com/1YCuYhPr2h — ESA (@esa) April 14, 2023 × The probe separated as planned at an altitude of 1,500 kilometres (930 miles), 27 minutes after launching from Europe's spaceport in Kourou. Stephane Israel, the CEO of French firm Arianespace in charge of the rocket, said it meant the launch was "a success". The JUICE mission is aimed at investigating Jupiter's icy moons and Jupiter itself. Scientists think that these moons cover oceans of liquid water underneath. According to our current understanding, where there is water, there might be life. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) plans to take a long and winding path to the gas giant, which is 628 million kilometres (390 million miles) from Earth. It will use several gravitational boosts along the way, first by doing a fly-by of Earth and the Moon, then by sling-shotting around Venus in 2025 before swinging past Earth again in 2029. When the probe finally enters Jupiter's orbit in July 2031, its 10 scientific instruments will analyse the Solar System's largest planet as well as its three icy moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Watch: ESA successfully launches JUICE probe, onward to Jupiter now

<p>The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launch Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) on Friday (April 14). The launch took place from ESA spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. An Ariane 5 rocket lifted-off carrying JUICE probe at 9:14 am local time (1214 GMT). The path ahead is long and winding. The space probe will be in Jupiter's orbit by July 2031. Jupiter is 628 million kilometre away from our home planet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The European Space Agency posted launch of JUICE on its social media handle. Check out the brilliant video.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Another view of <a href="https://twitter.com/ariane5?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ariane5</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VA260?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VA260</a> liftoff and ascent. For real-time mission updates, follow <a href="https://twitter.com/Arianespace?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Arianespace</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/ESA_JUICE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESA_JUICE</a> 👍 <a href="https://t.co/1YCuYhPr2h">pic.twitter.com/1YCuYhPr2h</a></p>
— ESA (@esa) <a href="https://twitter.com/esa/status/1646851886945820673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>JUICE will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments. The mission will explore the&nbsp;moons as possible habitats besides studying Jupiter’s complex environment.</p>

<p>So what will JUICE do during it's mission? Let's get the dope.</p>

<h2><strong>What is JUICE's mission?</strong></h2>

<p>Finding aliens! Quite literally.</p>

<p>We may be less than a decade away from finding signs of life (or life itself) in our solar system! Finding alien life has been a scientific pre-occupation for us for decades. The question, 'Are we are alone in the Universe?' has been on our mind for a long time. To find the answer, we have applied our minds and focussed our powerful lenses which have been scanning distant corners or deep space for decades. Our giant radio receptors are ever alert to catch a transmission from an alien civilisation. We have also sent space probes (Voyager 1 and 2) packed with information in hopes that someday aliens will find them and come to know about us.</p>

<p>But the answer may be closer to home than we think. Alien life may be present in our Solar System itself.</p>

<h2><strong>Where can aliens be in our Solar System?</strong></h2>

<p>There are several candidates. Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system has several satellites which have had scientists interested. Europa, in particular has been in focus.</p>

<p>Europa is an icy world. The surface of the planet is covered by extremely thick ice sheets. Ice is lighter than water, so wherever there's ice, there is a possibility of water underneath.</p>

<p>Scientist think that Europa has oceans of liquid water under its massive ice sheets. And we know from our own planet that water means life.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In theory at least, it is possible that Europa harbours life in liquid oceans below the surface. This may be a downer for those of us expecting insect like aliens with antennas on their head to exist in space. But even if we find definitive proof of sea creatures swimming in Europa's oceans, wouldn't it be insanely fantastic discovery?</p>

<p>In addition to Europa, JUICE will study Ganymede and Callisto, two more satellites of Jupiter.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>How will JUICE search for&nbsp;life?</strong></h2>

<p>Whenever we talk of life under Europa's ice sheets, first image that comes to mind is that of a human-made machine dutifully drilling the ice. This may sound easy enough until we know that Europa's ice sheets are thought to be between 16 and 24 kilometres thick!</p>

<p>Drilling to such depths is hard enough task on Earth, forget doing it on a frozen world millions of kilometres away. Logistics will be a major problem.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So how will JUICE manage?</p>

<p>It will make remote observations. But this will not be just clicking a random picture from the orbit. JUICE has 10 state-of-the-art scientific instruments onboard. It's high resolution mapping of the surface at different wavelengths will tell us about composition of the ice at the surface.&nbsp;</p>

<p>JUICE will also look for biological signatures, that it, chemicals that form as a result of various biological processes. If such chemicals are found, it will boost the possibility of existence of life on Europa.</p>

<p>JUICE is not expected to actually find extraterrestrial life. It definitely won't drop a fishing net to catch some Europan salmon. But its readings and observations will enable us to assess habitability of the satellite.</p>

<h2><strong>Why is JUICE taking 8 years to reach Jupiter?</strong></h2>

<p>JUICE launch on April 14 doesn't give it a straight highway ticket from Earth to Jupiter. The space probe is taking a long-winding route that'll see it taking 'gravity assists' from Earth, Moon, and Venus.</p>

<p>A 'gravity assist' is a technique by which a spacecraft takes help of gravitational field of a planet to get a speed boost. For gravity assist, the spacecraft needs to pass through the planet's gravitational field at a carefully calibrated exact point in order to get a 'slingshot effect'. Smallest of the mistakes during this manoeuvre results in the spacecraft getting pulled towards the planet and getting destroyed in an unfortunate crash.</p>

<p>"By the time the first solar orbit is complete, Earth has caught up with JUICE and the first gravity-assist manoeuvre can be performed. At this point, the spacecraft is deflected towards Venus and it falls in the direction of the Sun, increasing speed...After passing Venus, JUICE makes subsequent flybys of Earth, Mars...and Earth again before its rendezvous with Jupiter in October 2029," says the European Space Agency on its website.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launch Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) on Friday (April 14). The launch took place from ESA spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launch Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) on Friday (April 14). The launch took place from ESA spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. An Ariane 5 rocket lifted-off carrying JUICE probe at 9:14 am local time (1214 GMT). The path ahead is long and winding. The space probe will be in Jupiter's orbit by July 2031. Jupiter is 628 million kilometre away from our home planet. The European Space Agency posted launch of JUICE on its social media handle. Check out the brilliant video. Another view of @ariane5 #VA260 liftoff and ascent. For real-time mission updates, follow @Arianespace and @ESA_JUICE 👍 pic.twitter.com/1YCuYhPr2h — ESA (@esa) April 14, 2023 × JUICE will make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments. The mission will explore the moons as possible habitats besides studying Jupiter’s complex environment. So what will JUICE do during it's mission? Let's get the dope. What is JUICE's mission? Finding aliens! Quite literally. We may be less than a decade away from finding signs of life (or life itself) in our solar system! Finding alien life has been a scientific pre-occupation for us for decades. The question, 'Are we are alone in the Universe?' has been on our mind for a long time. To find the answer, we have applied our minds and focussed our powerful lenses which have been scanning distant corners or deep space for decades. Our giant radio receptors are ever alert to catch a transmission from an alien civilisation. We have also sent space probes (Voyager 1 and 2) packed with information in hopes that someday aliens will find them and come to know about us. But the answer may be closer to home than we think. Alien life may be present in our Solar System itself. Where can aliens be in our Solar System? There are several candidates. Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system has several satellites which have had scientists interested. Europa, in particular has been in focus. Europa is an icy world. The surface of the planet is covered by extremely thick ice sheets. Ice is lighter than water, so wherever there's ice, there is a possibility of water underneath. Scientist think that Europa has oceans of liquid water under its massive ice sheets. And we know from our own planet that water means life. In theory at least, it is possible that Europa harbours life in liquid oceans below the surface. This may be a downer for those of us expecting insect like aliens with antennas on their head to exist in space. But even if we find definitive proof of sea creatures swimming in Europa's oceans, wouldn't it be insanely fantastic discovery? In addition to Europa, JUICE will study Ganymede and Callisto, two more satellites of Jupiter. How will JUICE search for life? Whenever we talk of life under Europa's ice sheets, first image that comes to mind is that of a human-made machine dutifully drilling the ice. This may sound easy enough until we know that Europa's ice sheets are thought to be between 16 and 24 kilometres thick! Drilling to such depths is hard enough task on Earth, forget doing it on a frozen world millions of kilometres away. Logistics will be a major problem. So how will JUICE manage? It will make remote observations. But this will not be just clicking a random picture from the orbit. JUICE has 10 state-of-the-art scientific instruments onboard. It's high resolution mapping of the surface at different wavelengths will tell us about composition of the ice at the surface. JUICE will also look for biological signatures, that it, chemicals that form as a result of various biological processes. If such chemicals are found, it will boost the possibility of existence of life on Europa. JUICE is not expected to actually find extraterrestrial life. It definitely won't drop a fishing net to catch some Europan salmon. But its readings and observations will enable us to assess habitability of the satellite. Why is JUICE taking 8 years to reach Jupiter? JUICE launch on April 14 doesn't give it a straight highway ticket from Earth to Jupiter. The space probe is taking a long-winding route that'll see it taking 'gravity assists' from Earth, Moon, and Venus. A 'gravity assist' is a technique by which a spacecraft takes help of gravitational field of a planet to get a speed boost. For gravity assist, the spacecraft needs to pass through the planet's gravitational field at a carefully calibrated exact point in order to get a 'slingshot effect'. Smallest of the mistakes during this manoeuvre results in the spacecraft getting pulled towards the planet and getting destroyed in an unfortunate crash. "By the time the first solar orbit is complete, Earth has caught up with JUICE and the first gravity-assist manoeuvre can be performed. At this point, the spacecraft is deflected towards Venus and it falls in the direction of the Sun, increasing speed...After passing Venus, JUICE makes subsequent flybys of Earth, Mars...and Earth again before its rendezvous with Jupiter in October 2029," says the European Space Agency on its website. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Explained | Get the dope on JUICE, Europe’s mission to find aliens

The European Space Agency will launch a mission to search for sustainable life on Jupiter's icy moons. Would the mission unravel the mysteries of deep space? Molly Gambhir brings you a report.

Gravitas: "Juice" mission to study Jupiter's icy moons

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ESA's JUICE mission is set to attempt first-ever Lunar-Earth flyby. Here's how it will impact planet

Europe’s JUICE probe set to use first-ever ‘double gravity assist’ from Earth and Moon for launch to Jupiter

Watch: ESA successfully launches JUICE probe, onward to Jupiter now

Explained | Get the dope on JUICE, Europe’s mission to find aliens

Gravitas: "Juice" mission to study Jupiter's icy moons