The European Space Agencysaysit is nearly view and adjusting the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer ( JUICE ) as it attempts to whip the spacecraft around the lunar month and the Earth as part of a multipart journey towards the largest planet in our solar system .
JUICE will execute the speculative tactic between August 19 and 20 ; the trade will be close-fitting to the Earth at around 12:00 a.m. ET ( UTC +02:00 ) on August 20 .
The ESA said in a statement that the craft ’s designate stunt flying — a lunar - world flyby and a doublegravity assist manoeuvre — will amount to a “ doubled humankind first . ” The soberness assist will alter the research fomite ’s speed and counsel , but beat it right will be cunning , the agencyexplained . Even the tiniest error “ could take JUICE off course and write the end of the mission , ” the ESA wrote .
Juice’s trajectory © European Space Agency
succus quetch off its trip-up with alaunch in April 2023and a flight adjustment seven month later . As it sail past Earth and do mental testing ofonboard instruments , the craft will draw rein the planet ’s gravity to slow down and “ bend ” towards Venus , loop around the major planet in August 2025 before head back towards Earth . ( The slowdown is necessary for set the amount of fuel needed to ease JUICE into domain around other planet ) .
Then , the craftsmanship will execute two more eyelet around Earth ( one in September 2026 and another January 2029 ) for hit the correct path and velocity to enter Jupiter ’s range in 2031 . From there , JUICE will observe the fifth planet from the Sunday and its icy moons .
Ignacio Tanco , JUICE ’s spacecraft operations coach , said the lunar - Earth flyby will be like “ devolve through a very narrow-minded corridor , very , very quickly : pushing the accelerator to the maximum when the tolerance at the side of the route is just millimetres . ”
A diagram of JUICE’s lunar-Earth flyby © European Space Agency
Only the most fortunate succus brain will be able-bodied to spot the craft using a telescope or high - powered binoculars , the ESA sound out , when it flies “ directly over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean . ” The government agency shared the slyness ’s flight datahere . An easier way to follow along , however , will be to monitor theESA ’s blogorX(formerly Twitter ) account , which is where the agency plan to send photos taken by JUICE’stwo monitoring camerasduring the flyby on Monday dark and early Tuesday morning .
Venus and Jupiter are n’t the only planets under watch by the ESA ’s space vehicle . The agency’sMars Express Orbiter late returned arresting imagesof the violent planet ’s “ snaking scar . ” As for the ESA ’s U.S. similitude , NASA is search for private - sector help toget its abandon bird of passage to the moon . NASA has also sought assistance from private space companies as it plot thedestruction of the one - million - hammer International Space Station , after it retire the place at the end of 2030 .
EarthJupiterJupiter Icy Moons ExplorerSpacecraft
JUICE’s multipart trip to Jupiter © European Space Agency
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