The agency claims that this is a double world first: The first flyby of the Moon to Earth and the first double gravity assist maneuver.
A European spacecraft will pass by the Moon and Earth next week, using gravity to guide its course toward its destination, Jupiter. The European Space Agency (ESA) states that it is the first Moon-Earth flyby and the first double gravity assist maneuver.
The Gravitational assist is a planetary exploration technique which uses gravity to correct its course towards Earth and then towards Venus on its journey to Jupiter. It can be used when there is not enough propellant or a rocket powerful enough to go to a destination directly.
“It needs gravitational assistance – or attraction – from the planets to help it obtain enough energy to be able to fly to Jupiter,” explains Nicolas Altobelli, head of the mission. Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) of ESA.
The ESA claims that the flyby of the moon to Earth is a risky feat, since even a small mistake could throw the ship off course.
JUICE will fly very close to the Moon and Earth and, between 17 and 22 August, ESA ground stations around the world will be in permanent contact with the spacecraft.
According to ESA, the spacecraft’s trajectory has already been adjusted by ESA’s flight control team.
During the Moon’s flyby of Earth, our planet will bend Juice’s trajectory through space, “slowing” it down and redirecting it on course to another Venus flyby in August 2025ESA said.
Next, will return to Earth for two more flybys in 2026 and 2029in order to gain enough strength to head to Jupiter in 2031.
According to ESA, this route has been carefully planned by the JUICE mission analysis team over the past 20 years.
The JUICE mission: A long journey
JUICEwas launched in April 2023 to investigate Jupiter’s icy moons, including a water ocean on Ganymede.
It is expected that in 2031 the spacecraft will finally reach Jupiter, a planet located an average of 800 million kilometers from Earth and almost 600 million kilometers at its closest point in orbit. If JUICE flew directly to Jupiter, without gravity assistance, it would have needed about 60,000 kg of propellant on board.
ESA says it will activate the spacecraft’s ten scientific instruments during the first flyby, as it will be a good testing environment for the teams to collect and analyze data.
According to ESA, JUICE’s RIME (Radar for Icy Moon Exploration) instrument is being disrupted by some electronic noises inside the ship and must be reviewed.
During its closest pass by the Moon, RIME will have eight minutes to make observations, with all other instruments turned off or operating in silent mode. With the data collected during that time, RIME team will develop an algorithm to solve the noise problem.
Video editor • Roselyne Min
