ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will return to Earth on 19–20 August, with flight controllers guiding the spacecraft first past the Moon and then past Earth itself. This ‘braking’ manoeuvre will take Juice on a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus.
What is happening?
It’s a double world first. The first-ever lunar-Earth flyby, and the first-ever double gravity assist manoeuvre. It will change Juice’s speed and direction to alter its course through space, but it’s a daring feat; the slightest mistake could take Juice off course and spell the end of the mission.
Following Juice’s launch in April 2023, this lunar-Earth flyby is the first step in the spacecraft’s waltz through the Solar System on its journey to Jupiter.
During the flyby, Earth will bend Juice’s trajectory through space, ‘braking’ it and redirecting it on course for a flyby of Venus in August 2025. From that moment on, the energy boosts will begin, with Juice being whizzed up by Venus and then twice by Earth – the space exploration equivalent of drinking three back-to-back espressos.
How are we making it happen?
Mission operators have already adjusted Juice’s path to ensure that it arrives first at the Moon, then a day later at Earth, at precisely the right time, with the right speed, and travelling in the right direction. They are confident of success, but this is a risky challenge that no other space mission has ever faced before.
As Juice’s Spacecraft Operations Manager, Ignacio Tanco puts it: “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.”
Juice will come extremely close to both the Moon and Earth, meaning that real-time pinpoint accuracy is required in all navigation manoeuvres. From 17–22 August, Juice will be in continuous contact with ground stations around the world. Every second of the way, through day and night, operators will keep a careful watch on the data coming down from Juice, making any tiny adjustments needed to keep the spacecraft on the right course.
Bonus science!
As if steering Juice around two enormous space obstacles wasn’t enough, ESA will also be activating the spacecraft’s ten science instruments as it passes by the Moon and Earth.
The lunar-Earth flyby provides a prime test environment for instrument teams to collect and analyse data from an actual surface in space for the first time. For some instruments, this is the only opportunity to make certain measurements during Juice’s entire eight-year journey to Jupiter. It will give scientists and engineers the chance to calibrate their instruments, smooth out any remaining issues, and who knows, they may even make some surprising scientific discoveries.
The lunar-Earth flyby is particularly crucial for Juice’s Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME) instrument, as RIME data is being disturbed by some electronic noise within the spacecraft.
The flyby of the Moon on 19 August is one of only a few chances before arrival at Jupiter for the RIME team to check how this noise is affecting the instrument’s performance. During the closest approach to the Moon, RIME will have eight minutes to observe alone, with the other instruments either switched off or set to quiet mode. Based on these observations, the RIME team will work on an algorithm to correct the noise problem.
How can you follow along?
A lucky few may even be able to see Juice pass overhead, with the spacecraft flying directly over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Powerful binoculars or a telescope will give you the best chance of seeing the spacecraft. Trajectory data can be found here.
Meanwhile, Juice’s two onboard monitoring cameras will be snapping photos throughout the lunar-Earth flyby, which we will be sharing publicly via social media and our Rocket Science blog as soon as they are received on Earth.
