ESA · Space

Juice spacecraft uses Earth gravity for Jupiter course

ESA's Juice spacecraft successfully used Earth's gravity for a trajectory correction towards Jupiter, conserving fuel and testing instruments. The flyby occurred on September 28.

Juice's gravity assist altered its path by 20° and increased velocity by 3.5 km/s, requiring minimal fuel. Operators tracked the spacecraft closely before and after the maneuver.

The flyby, with closest approach at 8640 km above the Indian Ocean, also served as a test for Juice's science instruments.

This provided an opportunity to calibrate instruments under known conditions, prioritizing those crucial for upcoming Jupiter observations.

The mission team managed instrument operations carefully due to limited time and spacecraft resources.

Juice's journey includes numerous flybys of Jupiter's moons, with preparations for those starting years in advance.

The spacecraft also flew through Earth's magnetotail, measuring magnetic fields and particles, offering insights into space weather.

Juice will have one final Earth flyby in January 2029 before reaching Jupiter in 2031 for its primary mission.

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