JUICE launched into space to search for life on Jupiter's moons

On the afternoon of April 14, 2023, specialists fromThe European Space Agency (ESA) launched its new research vehicle, the JUICE interplanetary station, into space. It was designed and launched to study the moons of the planet Jupiter, on the surface of which there is a lot of liquid water that can contain alien life. The researchers warned that the JUICE space mission will require the utmost patience from everyone, because the flight will take about eight years, and the device will not reach its goal until 2031. After that, it will leisurely study three different moons of Jupiter and send the collected data back to Earth. It is possible that it is thanks to JUICE that we will know that we are not alone in the Universe - this is one of the most important space missions at the moment. Therefore, I propose to learn about it all the most interesting.

Interplanetary station Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will search for life on the moons of Jupiter

Content

• 1 JUICE spacecraft launch
• 2 Flight of the JUICE station to Jupiter
• 3 Design of the JUICE spacecraft
• Is there life on Jupiter's moons?

JUICE spacecraft launch

The launch of the interplanetary station JUICE took place on 14April, at 15:14 Moscow time. An Ariane 5 launch vehicle was used to put the device into orbit - it successfully launched from the Kourou cosmodrome in French Guiana. 29 minutes after launch, the station separated from the rocket and began to open the solar panels. The launch of the JUICE interplanetary station was broadcast online.

Everything interesting starts from 48 minutes

Flight of the JUICE station to Jupiter

The JUICE research vehicle will not be able to fly directly towards Jupiter.

JUICE's flight can be divided into three phases:

• phase of interplanetary flight, during which he will circle the Earth and the Moon several times, as well as the planet Venus. This phase will be the longest and will last until 2029;
• phase "Jupiter Tour", which will begin in 2031 - first the device will reach Jupiter, and then circle around Europe;
• phase "Ganymede Tour", which will begin in 2034 - the device will enter the orbit of Ganymede and begin to study it.

Flight path of the JUICE station to Jupiter

According to the plan, the JUICE interplanetary station willfly to Jupiter 7.6 years. The approach will occur in 2031, but the scientific equipment will be turned on six months before that. Jupiter's moons will be studied for four years, after which the JUICE spacecraft will crash into the moon Ganymede in 2025.

See also: New photos of Jupiter received. What is special about them?

JUICE spacecraft design

The JUICE interplanetary station is relativelya small box stuffed with research equipment. But when unfolded, it looks huge, because it is equipped with ten solar panels with an area of ​​​​85 square meters.

Appearance of the interplanetary station JUICE

The mass of the JUICE structure is 5500 kilograms. Approximately 290 kilograms falls on scientific equipment, but the heaviest part of the device is the fuel tank weighing 2000 kilograms.

Scientific equipment of JUICE station

Scientific equipment consists of 10 differentdevices created by specialists from different countries. We are talking about different cameras for taking photographs, a magnetometer for studying the properties of the magnetic field of space objects, as well as tools for studying the internal structure of Jupiter's satellites.

Current scientific discovery: Scientists have unraveled the secret of the icy shell of Jupiter's moon

Is there life on Jupiter's moons?

The planet Jupiter has over 80 moons.but the interplanetary station will study only three satellites: Ganymede, Europa and Callisto. The main goal of the JUICE project is the search for extraterrestrial life. The largest moons of Jupiter are covered in ice, so they may well have a lot of water in liquid form. Although it is under a thick layer of ice, there is a possibility that living organisms swim in it.

Most scientists are interested in the satellite Ganymede,therefore, the JUICE apparatus will study it the most. Not only can there be an ocean of water under the surface of this object, but it is also the only satellite in the solar system that has its own magnetic field.

Satellite Ganymede

Also, the research apparatus will study the satelliteEurope - it will fly around it twice at an altitude of 400-500 kilometers. However, the station will shift its focus from the search for organics and pay more attention to the processes of formation of the ice crust.

Sputnik Europe

Finally, the JUICE station will study the Callisto moon, which may harbor life.

Callisto Satellite

The existence of life on Ganymede, Europa andCallisto is possible due to the likely presence of liquid water below the surface and the geothermal activity that warms this water. It is possible that extraterrestrial life will be discovered on these moons of Jupiter, and not on Mars, as previously expected.

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Every year the probability of life on Marsmore and more questioned. However, it could well exist there millions of years ago, when there were rivers and lakes on the surface of the planet. We will also be able to find out whether life existed on Mars in the 2030s, when NASA will bring samples of Martian soil to Earth and scientists will study it in laboratories. In general, many interesting scientific discoveries await us in the future.