Brief
ESA’s Juice spacecraft captures Earth images during gravity assist
The European Space Agency’s Juice probe used Earth’s gravity to adjust its path to Jupiter while snapping images of our planet and the Moon.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) passed close to Earth on Monday morning, using the planet’s gravity to fine‑tune its trajectory toward Jupiter. During the flyby, the probe’s NavCam camera captured images of Earth, focusing on parts of Africa, and of the Moon. Juice also spent time in Earth’s magnetic tail, studying charged particles and activity there. The spacecraft’s instruments were tested and calibrated under well‑understood conditions, a rare opportunity before the mission’s final leg to Jupiter. Juice will return to Earth for a second flyby in 2029 before heading to its primary destination in 2031, where it will study Jupiter’s atmosphere and its icy moons Ganymede, Europa and Callisto.
Key facts
- Juice passed over Earth on Monday morning (scientificamerican.com)
- NavCam captured images of Earth and the Moon (scientificamerican.com)
- Juice studied charged particles in Earth’s magnetic tail (scientificamerican.com)
- Juice will fly by Earth again in 2029 (scientificamerican.com)
- Juice will arrive at Jupiter in 2031 to study its moons (scientificamerican.com)
Sources
- [1] scientificamerican.com — originally reported as “See the cool photos this Jupiter-bound spacecraft took while swinging by Earth”
