The spacecraft will deliver 10 scientific instruments to Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. Traveling 6.6 billion kilometers and arriving at its destination in eight years, the probe will spend at least three years studying in detail the planet and its three largest moons – Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. It is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) largest space mission to date. The launch is scheduled for April 13 from Kourou, French Guiana.
It is believed that beneath the icy crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa lies a huge ocean of water containing twice as much liquid as all of Earth’s oceans combined. But scientists are more interested in Ganymede – Jupiter’s largest moon. It is believed that under the ice shell is a salty ocean. One of Juice’s main tasks is to explore this body of water and determine if this world can be habitable.
The Juice probe is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031. The fuel should be sufficient for 35 flybys of icy moons before the vehicle enters Ganymede’s orbit in December 2034. When the fuel runs out, the probe will make a controlled drop onto Ganymede, marking the end of the $17 billion mission.
