The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) craft, equipped with UK-made scientific instruments, will perform a “world first” flyby of the Moon and Earth tonight, Sky News reports.
Flight controllers will guide the spacecraft on a risky maneuver, utilizing the Moon’s gravity followed by Earth’s to act as a natural brake. This technique will allow Juice to slow down and then slingshot itself towards the next phase of its journey, a 4.1 billion-mile trek to Jupiter that was initiated in April 2023 and will take over eight years to complete.
Onboard are 10 scientific instruments, which will investigate whether Jupiter’s three moons – Callisto, Europa and Ganymede – can support life in its oceans.
From around 11.57pm on Monday into the early hours of Tuesday, the agency says a double world first will take place with the lunar-Earth fly-by and the double gravity assist manoeuvre.
The move will change Juice’s speed and direction to alter its course through space.
Earth will bend Juice’s trajectory through space, redirecting it on course for a fly-by of Venus in August 2025.
From then on, energy boosts will begin, with the spacecraft being sped up by Venus and then twice by Earth.
Some keen stargazers may be able to spot Juice pass overhead, with the spacecraft flying directly over South East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
Powerful binoculars or a telescope will give them the best chance of seeing the spacecraft.
Two cameras onboard Juice will capture images throughout the lunar-Earth flyby, and these photos will be shared publicly as they are received on Earth, offering a unique glimpse into this unprecedented maneuver.
