ESA met with the press on 9 August to provide details of what has been announced as a world first: the first dual gravity assist manoeuvre, scheduled for Monday 19 August. Obviously, it’s hard not to react, so we’re learning more about this unprecedented manoeuvre for the mission. juice.
As a reminder, this will be the first time a spacecraft has performed a gravity assist using two celestial bodies, in this case the Earth and the Moon. Incidentally, this will also be the first simultaneous flyby of the Moon and the Earth in history. This procedure is called Lega (Lunar Earth Gravity Assist), and will allow the probe to save fuel to reach Jupiter.
Image Credit: Image Credit: European Space AgencyThere are only 24 hours between the Moon’s closest approach to Earth. That’s not enough time to analyse how well the flyby went and correct any errors before the Earth flyby begins. Credit: ESA
Target Jupiter in 2031
This maneuver, conceived 15 years ago, requires a precise launch so that the spacecraft reaches the Moon and Earth at the right time. Juice will first fly over the Moon at a distance of less than 700 kilometers on Monday the 19th at 11:16 p.m. Paris time. The probe will then slow down slightly, before approaching Earth at less than 7,000 kilometers about 25 hours later. Earth will slow down even more to better propel it toward Venus, which the spacecraft will reach in August 2025.
JUICE will then return to Earth in September 2026 and January 2029 to gain the speed needed to reach Jupiter in July 2031. There, the probe will explore Jupiter’s icy moons, and three years later, it will orbit Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon in the solar system.
Equipment testing maneuver
“This mission is essential to determine whether habitable environments exist beneath icy moons, such as Europa, Ganymede or Callisto. This is the primary goal of the mission.” Dr. Olivier Witassi, a planetary scientist involved in the mission, recalls.
The flyby, scheduled for next Monday, will also be an opportunity for engineers and astrophysicists to test the spacecraft’s various scientific instruments. “This cannot be simulated in the laboratory. This will be an excellent test to evaluate the radar’s performance under real operating conditions., Nicola Altobelli confirmedESA planetary scientist during this press conference.
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