PARIS Apr 14The Ariane-5 rocket carrying the JUICE research probe, designed to study Jupiter and its icy moons, launched from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, the launch is broadcast on the website of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Originally, the launch was scheduled for April 13, but was postponed due to weather conditions.
The JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission involves the study of Jupiter and its icy moons. As part of the mission, observations will be made of the largest planet in the solar system and its largest satellites: Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. Scientists believe that life is possible in their icy crust and probable ocean layers below it.
The automatic interplanetary station was launched by the Ariane-5 rocket and should reach the orbit of Jupiter, which is located at a distance of almost 900 million kilometers from the Earth, in 8 years. During this time, the station will circle the Earth and Venus three times and use the gravitational field of the planets to fly to Jupiter.
JUICE is expected to orbit Jupiter in July 2031 and spend 3.5 years there.
NASA's Galileo robotic spacecraft was the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It was launched in 1989 and entered the orbit of the planet in 1995, where it remained until 2003.
In 2011, NASA's Juno spacecraft was launched to Jupiter and reached Jupiter in 2016, completing its mission in 2021. Another spacecraft, the Europa Clipper NASA, is scheduled to launch to Jupiter in 2024.
Since 2010, the Russian corporation Roskosmos has also been developing a megawatt-class nuclear tug for flights from Earth's orbit to distant planets. It was named «Zeus», and the research and development work itself is called «Nuklon». The first Russian Zeus mission to Jupiter will take 50 months and is expected to last from 2030 to 2034.
March 30, 08:00