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We shouldn’t see her again for 8 years. The European JUICE probe is due to take off on Thursday April 13 from the Kourou base in Guyana. It is heading towards Jupiter and its icy moons more than 600 million kilometers from Earth.
At 2:15 p.m. Paris time, Ariane 5 will take off with the JUICE probe on board, heading for Jupiter. A journey of eight years and several billion kilometers consuming as much energy as a toaster. For this, JUICE will use the attractions of the Earth, then of Venus in order to be catapulted towards three moons of Jupiter. “It’s magnificent, it really is technological prowess at its peak”rejoices Daniel Neuenschwander, director of launchers at ESA.
The most important exploration mission of the decade
The first object designed by man to orbit a moon other than ours, the European probe will scan the gigantic icy oceans to find out if living conditions could exist. This is the most important exploration mission of the decade for the European Space Agency. It is entrusted to one of the latest Ariane 5, a success rate of 98% for a rocket accustomed to prestigious launches. JUICE will not arrive around the moons of Jupiter until 2031.
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