By 
August 19th, 2024
Image credit: ESA/ATG/CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The European Space Agency spacecraft — the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) — zips by the Moon at 23:15 Central European Summer Time (CEST) tonight.
Juice will then flyby Earth, zooming within the altitude of satellites in geostationary and medium-Earth orbits.
For a select set of viewers with powerful binoculars or telescopes here on Earth, Juice should be observable as the spacecraft passes overhead, flying directly over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
Image credit: ESA/ATG/CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Double gravity assist
Juice is the first ever double gravity assist by a spacecraft.
Juice was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in April 2023 and destined to arrive at Jupiter in July 2031.
But to get to its destination, double dipping, trajectory bending maneuvers are set to take place on August 19 and 20.
Image credit: ESA
Juice’s trajectory through space and time will redirect it on a course for a flyby of Venus in August 2025, then onto its Jupiter arrival some six years later.
Zooming science
As Juice passes by the Moon and Earth, ESA will be activating the spacecraft’s ten science instruments.
Image credit: ESA
The Moon-Earth flyby provides a “prime test environment” for instrument teams to collect and analyze data from an actual surface in space for the first time. It will give scientists and engineers the chance to calibrate instruments, smooth out any remaining issues, “and who knows, they may even make some surprising scientific discoveries,” an ESA statement suggests.
Image credit: ESA
To keep your eye on the whereabouts of Juice, go to:
https://juicept.esac.esa.int/where/
Go to this live event flyby of the Moon at:
https://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/2024/08/19/join-us-live-as-juice-flies-past-the-moon/
Posted in Space News
