The European Space Agency launched a rocket with a probe to study Jupiter
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The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched an Ariane V launch vehicle with the JUICE interplanetary station, which will go to the three moons of Jupiter. About it reported the company is the launch operator of Arianespace. The launch was postponed from April 13 due to weather conditions.
JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer) will explore three natural satellites of the gas giant – Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
The probe should reach the first two icy satellites by July 2031, when the station will explore the surfaces of Callisto and Ganymede. In December 2034, it is planned to reach Ganymede, in which scientists are most interested.
The probe’s mission is to study Jupiter’s largest moons for potential life in their oceans, as well as their surface, atmosphere, and the giant’s rings themselves.
Initially, the project was called the Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter (JGO) and was part of the international space program, which included ESA, Roscosmos, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The project cost amounted to 1.6 billion euros.
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