A spacecraft on its way to explore Jupiter flew past Earth on Wednesday, using the planet’s gravity to help it travel through the solar system.
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, also known as Juice, flew past the moon on Aug. 19 and the Earth on Aug. 20.
Both approaches were recorded between 5 and 6 p.m. EST, the ESA said in a news release.
While passing Earth, Juice flew over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
The flyby allowed the spacecraft to adjust its path through space, the ESA said.
The spacecraft was also able to test outs its scientific instruments in space while flying past the Earth and the moon.
Once near Jupiter, Juice will “make detailed observations” of the planet and three of its moons.
The spacecraft will also monitor the environment on Jupiter, a gas giant, to see how it interacts with those moons.
On Wednesday, a spacecraft traveling through the solar system to study Jupiter passed by Earth, aided in its journey by the planet’s gravity.
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) of the European Space Agency passed by the moon on August 22. 19 and August on Earth. twenty. Between five and six p.m., both approaches were captured. me. EST, the ESA stated in a press release. Juice flew over the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia on her way past Earth.
According to the ESA, the flyby gave the spacecraft the opportunity to modify its orbit. The explorer could adjust its direction and speed due to the Earth’s and the moon’s gravity. The ESA stated that although the mission is “inherently risky” and required “ultra-precise, real-time navigation,” it is also enabling the spacecraft to save fuel while traveling across the solar system.
Only a small portion of the propellant set aside for this flyby was used, all because of the extremely accurate navigation provided by ESA’s Flight Dynamics team. This will increase the reserves we have for inclement weather or to continue the science mission after we reach Jupiter,” the mission’s spacecraft operations manager, Ignacio Tanco, stated in the press release.
As the spacecraft passed Earth and the moon, it had the opportunity to test its scientific instruments in orbit. High-resolution photos of the two bodies were taken by Juice’s single camera, according to the ESA. When those photos have been downloaded from the spacecraft, they will be made public in the upcoming weeks.
After this, Juice will proceed to Venus. According to the ESA, it will arrive at that planet in August 2025. The spacecraft will return to Earth after passing Venus. It will make two flybys of Earth, in September 2026 and January 2029, respectively, in order to refuel before making its final landing on Jupiter in July 2031.
Juice will “make detailed observations” of Jupiter and its three moons when it gets close to the planet. The mission’s “remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments” will be used to investigate whether Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto are suitable habitats for “past or present life,” according to the ESA. The moons all have oceans.
The spacecraft will also keep an eye on Jupiter’s atmosphere to observe how it interacts with those moons. Jupiter is a gas giant. Juice will fly by each of the big moons 35 times in total during the mission.
