JUICE mission will unlock secrets of Jupiter’s moons

Juicy The ESA mission is slated to launch in 2022. by JoAnna Wendel Updated: Feb. 20, 2024 Originally Published: Sep. 29, 2020

Jupiter has some pretty amazing moons.

There’s Europa, a prime target in our search for alien life. That's because of the ocean of water that lies under its shell of ice. NASA

Then there’s Io, a volcanic moon, which spews lava dozens of miles into space. NASA

Ganymede is another moon with another potential watery ocean underneath its surface. NASA

Julian Biederbick / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images To study these moons up close, the European Space Agency plans to send a spacecraft called JUpiter ICy moons Explorer — or JUICE .

The mission is an international one, with ESA teaming up with NASA as well as Japan’s space agency, JAXA. ESA

JUICE will carry 10 scientific instruments to the Jupiter system to study three out of the four Galilean moons: Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede (Io being the 4th). ESA

Scientists are pretty certain that Europa and Ganymede contain a water ocean under their surface ice, but they’re less sure about Callisto. NASA

The spacecraft will use radar, lasers, spectrometers, and cameras to study these moons, their origins, and whether or not they host life, in depth. ESA

ESA plans to launch JUICE in 2022. It would take 7 years for the spacecraft to reach the Jupiter system, so the team wouldn’t be able to start their in depth research until about 2029. ESA

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JUICE mission will unlock secrets of Jupiter’s moons

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