European Space Agency: Launch mission to explore Jupiter’s ice moons

The journey from Europe to the cold moons of Jupiter has already left the planet.

From the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, the Juice satellite was launched into space on an Ariane-5 rocket.

The European Space Agency project is experiencing second-chance good fortune after the launch attempt on Thursday had to be aborted due to weather.

The largest planet in the Solar System is being visited by the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) in order to explore its three largest moons, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa.

There are believed to be enormous liquid water reservoirs on these ice-crusted planets.

The possibility of life on the moons piques scientists’ curiosity.

This may come off as whimsical. Jupiter is located in the dark, outer regions of the Solar System, far from the Sun, and only receives one-quarter of the light that strikes Earth.

However, because of the gravitational pressure that the gas giant planet places on its moons, it is possible that they could contain enough heat and energy to support rudimentary ecosystems, such to those that exist around volcanic vents on the ocean floors of Earth.

According to mission scientist Prof. Emma Bunce of Leicester University in the UK, “In the case of Europa, it’s thought that there’s a deep ocean, maybe 100km deep, underneath its ice crust.”

“That ocean’s depth is ten times greater than the deepest ocean on Earth, and we believe it is in contact with a stony floor. The researcher told BBC News that this presents a scenario where there is mixing and fascinating chemistry.

Juice can’t be sent directly to its target by Ariane, at least not in a timely manner.

Instead, the spacecraft will be sent on a path around the inner Solar System by the rocket. The expedition will then be gravitationally thrown out to its final location after a series of fly-bys of Venus and Earth.

It travels 6.6 billion kilometres in 8.5 years. It is anticipated to arrive at the Jovian system in July 2031.

Using a newly developed telescope, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei discovered the ice-covered moons Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa in 1610. They seemed to him as little dots that were rotating around Jupiter. He could also make out the fourth body, Io, which is a much smaller planet with volcanoes.

The 4,800–5,300 km diameter of the icy triple ranges. The natural satellite of Earth is approximately 3,500 kilometres across, for context.

Juice will conduct remote moon studies. It won’t land; it will simply soar over their surfaces. The satellite’s ultimate goal is Ganymede, the biggest moon in the Solar System. In 2034, it will complete its journey by entering Earth’s orbit.

Radar will be used to look into the moons; lidar, a laser measurement tool; magnetometers; and other sensors will gather data on the swirling particles that surround the moons. Lidar will be used to produce 3D maps of the moons’ surfaces. Of course, cameras will return a tonne of images.

Juice won’t be searching for specific “biomarkers” or trying to locate alien fish in the ocean’s depths.

Its goal is to learn more about potential habitability so that upcoming missions can tackle the life question in more detail.

Already, researchers are considering how they might send landers to one of Jupiter’s icy moons in order to drill through its surface to the ocean below.

Researchers in Antarctica utilise heat to drill hundreds of metres into the ice sheet in order to position submersibles where the surrounding ocean is frozen over.

It’s a difficult job, and it would be far more difficult on a moon orbiting Jupiter where the ice cover might be tens of kilometres thick.

Juice won’t be working alone.

The Clipper satellite is being sent by the US space agency NASA.

Even though it will depart Earth after Juice, it should land shortly before its European counterpart the following year. It benefits from a launch rocket that is more potent.

While investigating Europa, Clipper will largely carry out the same tasks.

The teams are eager to work together and have a lot in common, according to Prof. Carole Mundell, director of science at the European Space Agency.

“There will undoubtedly be an abundance of data. But first, we must ensure that our missions reach Jupiter and function securely.