The first Earth-Moon liftoff on a space mission

Juice spacecraft expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2031

Sky News on August 19 quoted information from the European Space Agency (ESA) saying that it is closely monitoring and adjusting the direction of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft (Juice) as the spacecraft moves around the moon and Earth as part of its journey to the largest planet in the solar system.

The Juice spacecraft will make its daring move from August 19 to August 20. It is expected that the spacecraft will be closest to Earth at around 11:00 a.m. on August 20 (Vietnam time).

Borrowing the Earth-Moon force allows the Juice to take a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus, using the gravity of the moon and then Earth as a natural brake, allowing the spacecraft to slow down and quickly transition to the next stage of its journey.

The Juice mission launched in April 2023 for a journey of nearly 7 billion kilometers, spending more than 8 years before reaching Jupiter.

In 2031, the ship is expected to reach Jupiter, a planet about 800 million kilometers away from Earth. Without borrowing power from the Earth-Moon, Juice would have to carry a 60-ton engine, which is impossible.

The spacecraft carries 10 scientific instruments to study whether Jupiter's three moons, Callisto, Europa and Ganymede, could support life within their oceans.

ESA experts admit that just one small mistake during the Earth-Moon flyby is enough to push the spacecraft off course and end the mission.

Some stargazers, if lucky and equipped with good binoculars and telescopes, can detect the Juice spacecraft as it flies across the skies of Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cu-muon-luc-dau-tien-tu-trai-dat-mat-trang-trong-mot-su-menh-vu-tru-185240819062627612.htm