Tonight, the JUICE mission will begin its first-ever double gravity maneuver. The vehicle will fly at a distance of 700 kilometers from the Moon. The event will be broadcast live by ESA.
Double gravity maneuver
The JUICE spacecraft was launched in April 2023. The main target of its mission are three icy moons of Jupiter (Europa, Callisto and Ganymede), under the surfaces of which hide huge oceans of liquid water. JUICE should study these moons and collect data that would help scientists assess their viability.
But to do that, JUICE must first enter a permanent orbit around Jupiter. That’s no easy task. Since the power of the Ariane 5 rocket was not enough to send the vehicle directly to the target, mission specialists decided to use the gravity of other planets. In a series of several maneuvers, JUICE uses it to carefully adjust its trajectory and ensure it arrives at Jupiter at the right speed to enter a permanent orbit around the gas giant.
The first of these maneuvers will begin on August 19, 2024. It will be a dual maneuver. JUICE will fly at a distance of 700 km from the lunar surface. After that, the spacecraft will head toward Earth. It will reach it already on August 20. The distance of the minimum approach to our planet will be 6,807 km. The spacecraft will fly directly over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, and can be seen through binoculars or a telescope.
Live broadcast of the flyby of the Moon
The flyby of the Moon will be broadcast live by ESA — on Youtube as well as social network X. The broadcast will start on August 20 at 11:30 p.m. CET. Anyone can ask ESA questions using the hashtag #askESA.
During the flyby, JUICE will take photos of the Moon using navigation cameras. They are able to take black and white images at a resolution of 1024 by 1024 pixels. Unprocessed photos will be published in real time.
According to the leaders of the mission, it is a kind of experiment. On the one hand, they hope to attract interest in JUICE – and successful moon images may well help that. On the other hand, engineers use this opportunity for training.
Also important to note, during the flyby, JUICE will take a number of measurements with its instruments. This will give scientists a chance to test their work and calibrate them if necessary. The spacecraft will also take detailed images of the Earth and the Moon using its main camera. These are expected to be published a few days after the flyby is completed.
According to ESA
