Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

{{Short description|European mission to study Jupiter and its moons since 2023}}

{{About|the ESA-led mission currently en route to Jupiter|the cancelled NASA mission proposal|Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter}}

{{redirects here|JUICE||Juice (disambiguation)}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

| names_list = Juice

| image = Juice launch kit cover close-up.png

| image_caption = Artist's impression of the Juice spacecraft orbiting Jupiter

| mission_type = Jupiter orbiter

| operator = European Space Agency

| website = {{official website|https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice}}

| mission_duration = {{ubli|Cruise phase:
8 years|Science phase:
3.5 years|Elapsed:
{{time interval|14 Apr 2023 12:14:36|show=ymd|sep=,}}}}

| spacecraft_bus =

| manufacturer = Airbus Defence and Space

| launch_mass = {{cvt|6070|kg|lb}}

| dry_mass = {{cvt|2420|kg|lb}}

| payload_mass =

| dimensions = 16.8 × 27.1 × 13.7 meters

| power = 850 watts{{cite web |title=JUpiter ICy moons Explorer |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2023-053A |website=NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive |access-date=13 November 2024 }} {{PD-notice}}

| launch_date = 14 April 2023 12:14:36{{nbsp}}UTC{{Cite news|date=14 April 2023|title=European Space Agency: Blast off for Jupiter icy moons mission|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65273857|access-date=14 April 2023|archive-date=14 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414114037/https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65273857|url-status=live}}

| launch_rocket = Ariane 5 ECA+ (VA-260)

| launch_site = Kourou ELA-3

| launch_contractor = Arianespace

| interplanetary = {{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = flyby

| object = Moon

| arrival_date = 19 August 2024, 21:16 UTC

| distance = {{cvt|700|km}}

}}

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = flyby

| object = Earth

| arrival_date = 20 August 2024, 21:57 UTC

| distance = {{cvt|6807|km}}

}}

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = flyby

| object = Venus

| arrival_date = 31 August 2025

| distance =

}}

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = flyby

| object = Earth

| arrival_date = 29 September 2026

| distance =

}}

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = flyby

| object = Earth

| arrival_date = 18 January 2029

| distance =

}}

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = orbiter

| object = Jupiter

| orbits =

| arrival_date = July 2031 (planned)

| departure_date = December 2034 (planned)

| periapsis =

| apoapsis =

| inclination =

}}

{{Infobox spaceflight/IP

| type = orbiter

| object = Ganymede

| orbits =

| arrival_date = December 2034 (planned)

| periapsis = {{cvt|500|km}}

| apoapsis = {{cvt|500|km}}

| inclination =

}}

| instruments_list = {{Infobox spaceflight/Instruments

| acronym1 = GALA | name1 = GAnymede Laser Altimeter

| acronym2 = JANUS | name2 = Jovis, Amorum ac Natorum Undique Scrutator

| acronym3 = J-MAG | name3 = Juice-MAGnetometer

| acronym4 = MAJIS | name4 = Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer

| acronym5 = PEP | name5 = Particle Environment Package

| acronym7 = RIME | name7 = Radar for Icy Moons Exploration

| acronym8 = RPWI | name8 = Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation

| acronym9 = SWI | name9 = Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument

| acronym10 = UVS | name10 = UV imaging Spectrograph

| acronym11 = 3GM | name11 = Gravity and Geophysics of Jupiter and Galilean Moons

}}

| insignia = Logo de la misión JUICE.png

| insignia_caption = Juice mission insignia

| insignia_alt = Juice mission logo

| programme = Cosmic Vision

| previous_mission = Euclid

| next_mission = SMILE

}}

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice, formerly JUICE{{Cite web |title=Juice, exploring Jupiter's icy moons |url=https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/juice |access-date=2023-04-30 |website=The Planetary Society |language=en}}) is an interplanetary spacecraft on its way to orbit and study three icy moons of Jupiter: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. These planetary-mass moons are planned to be studied because they are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their frozen surfaces, which would make them potentially habitable for extraterrestrial life.{{cite news |last=Clark |first=Stuart |title='It's like finding needles in a haystack': the mission to discover if Jupiter's moons support life |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/05/could-jupiters-icy-moons-support-life |date=5 March 2023 |work=The Guardian |accessdate=7 March 2023 |archive-date=7 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307013722/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/05/could-jupiters-icy-moons-support-life |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=17 April 2012 |title=ESA—Selection of the L1 mission |url=http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/resources/ESA/ESA-SPC_20120417_selection-L1-mission.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016065456/http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/resources/ESA/ESA-SPC_20120417_selection-L1-mission.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2015 |access-date=19 April 2012 |publisher=ESA}}

Juice is the first interplanetary spacecraft to the outer Solar System planets not launched by the United States and the first set to orbit a moon other than Earth's Moon. Launched by the European Space Agency (ESA), from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana on 14 April 2023, with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor,{{Cite web |title=ESA's Juice lifts off on quest to discover secrets of Jupiter's icy moons |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/ESA_s_Juice_lifts_off_on_quest_to_discover_secrets_of_Jupiter_s_icy_moons |access-date=2023-04-16 |website=ESA |language=en |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414134824/https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/ESA_s_Juice_lifts_off_on_quest_to_discover_secrets_of_Jupiter_s_icy_moons |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.airbus.com/en/juice|title=JUICE. Searching for life on Jupiter's icy moons|access-date=April 16, 2023|website=www.airbus.com|date=27 October 2021 |archive-date=13 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413231532/https://www.airbus.com/en/juice|url-status=live}} it is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031 after four gravity assists and eight years of travel.{{cite web |url=https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2022/03/Juice_s_journey_and_Jupiter_system_tour |title=Juice's journey and Jupiter system tour |work=ESA |date=29 March 2022 |access-date=3 April 2022 |archive-date=24 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924065708/https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2022/03/Juice_s_journey_and_Jupiter_system_tour |url-status=live }}{{cite web |date=28 October 2021 |title=JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=JUICE |access-date=10 November 2021 |work=NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive |publisher=NASA |archive-date=10 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110071104/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=JUICE |url-status=live }} In December 2034, the spacecraft will enter orbit around Ganymede for its close-up science mission. Its period of operations will overlap with NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which was launched in October 2024.

Background

The mission started as a reformulation of the Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter proposal, which was to be ESA's component of the cancelled Europa Jupiter System Mission – Laplace (EJSM-Laplace).{{Cite web |title=JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer): a European-led mission to the Jupiter system |url=http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2011/EPSC-DPS2011-1343-1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121194035/http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC-DPS2011/EPSC-DPS2011-1343-1.pdf |archive-date=21 November 2011 |access-date=8 August 2011 |website=Copernicus.org}} It became a candidate for the first L-class mission (L1) of the ESA Cosmic Vision Programme, and its selection was announced on 2 May 2012.{{cite web |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |date=2 May 2012 |title=ESA selects 1bn-euro Juice probe to Jupiter |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17917102 |website=BBC News |publisher= |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-date=11 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511181342/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17917102 |url-status=live }}

In April 2012, Juice was recommended over the proposed Advanced Telescope for High Energy Astrophysics (ATHENA) X-ray telescope and a gravitational wave observatory (New Gravitational wave Observatory (NGO)).{{cite news |last=Lakdawalla |first=Emily |date=18 April 2012 |title=JUICE: Europe's next mission to Jupiter? |work=The Planetary Society |publisher= |url=http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/3458.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501042940/http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/3458.html |archive-date=1 May 2012}}{{cite news |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |date=19 April 2012 |title=Disappointed astronomers battle on |work=BBC News |publisher= |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17773383 |url-status=live |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618015221/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17773383 |archive-date=18 June 2019}}

In July 2015, Airbus Defence and Space was selected as the prime contractor to design and build the probe, to be assembled in Toulouse, France.{{cite news |date=17 July 2015 |title=Preparing to build ESA's Jupiter mission |work=ESA Science & Technology |publisher=European Space Agency |url=http://sci.esa.int/juice/56165-preparing-to-build-esas-jupiter-mission/ |url-status=live |access-date=28 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002115209/http://sci.esa.int/juice/56165-preparing-to-build-esas-jupiter-mission/ |archive-date=2 October 2015}}

By 2023, the mission was estimated to cost ESA 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion).{{Cite web|url=https://spacenews.com/europes-jupiter-bound-juice-spacecraft-is-ready-for-april-launch/|title=Europe's Jupiter-bound JUICE spacecraft is ready for April launch|first=Jason|last=Rainbow|date=20 January 2023}}

Spacecraft

File:JUICE inside Airbus Defence and Space Astrolabe facilities 08.jpg

The main spacecraft design drivers are related to the large distance to the Sun, the use of solar power, and Jupiter's harsh radiation environment. The orbit insertions at Jupiter and Ganymede and the large number of flyby manoeuvres (more than 25 gravity assists, and two Europa flybys) require the spacecraft to carry about {{cvt|3000|kg}} of chemical propellant.{{cite web |date=16 March 2012 |title=JUICE—Spacecraft |url=http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50069 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510194252/http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50069 |archive-date=10 May 2013 |access-date=20 April 2012 |website=ESA Science & Technology |publisher=European Space Agency}} The total delta-V capability of the spacecraft is about {{cvt|2700|m/s|mph}}.{{Cite web |title=ESA/SRE(2014)1 JUICE definition study report (Red Book)|url=https://sci.esa.int/web/juice/-/54994-juice-definition-study-report |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=ESA |language=en |archive-date=|archive-url= |url-status= }}

Juice has a fixed 2.5 meter diameter high-gain antenna and a steerable medium-gain antenna; both X- and K-band will be used. Downlink rates of 2 Gb/day are possible with ground-based Deep Space Antennas. On-board data storage capability is 1.25 Tb.

The Juice main engine is a hypergolic bi-propellant (mono-methyl hydrazine and mixed oxides of nitrogen) 425 N thruster. A 100 kg multilayer insulation provides thermal control. The spacecraft is 3-axis stabilized using momentum wheels. Radiation shielding is used to protect onboard electronics from the Jovian environment (the required radiation tolerance is 50 kilorad at equipment level).

The Juice science payload has a mass of {{convert|280|kg}} and includes the JANUS camera system, the MAJIS visible and infrared imaging spectrometer, the UVS ultraviolet imaging spectrograph, RIME radar sounder, GALA laser altimeter, SWI submillimetre wave instrument, J-MAG magnetometer, PEP particle and plasma package, RPWI radio and plasma wave investigation, 3GM radio science package, the PRIDE radio science instrument, and the RADEM radiation monitor. A {{convert|10.6|meter}} deployable boom will hold J-MAG and RPWI, a {{convert|16|meter}} long deployable antenna will be used for RIME. Four {{convert|3|meter}} booms carry parts of the RPWI instrument. The other instruments are mounted on the spacecraft body, or for 3GM, within the spacecraft bus.

Timeline

= Launch =

Juice was launched into space on 14 April 2023 from the Guiana Space Centre on an Ariane 5 rocket. This was the final launch of an ESA science mission using the Ariane 5 vehicle,{{cite web |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/ESA_s_Juice_lifts_off_on_quest_to_discover_secrets_of_Jupiter_s_icy_moons |title=ESA's Juice lifts off on quest to discover secrets of Jupiter's icy moons |work=ESA |date=14 April 2023 |access-date=14 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230414134824/https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/ESA_s_Juice_lifts_off_on_quest_to_discover_secrets_of_Jupiter_s_icy_moons |url-status=live }} and was the second to last launch of the rocket overall.{{cite news |last1=Foust |first1=Jeff |title=Ariane 5 launches ESA's JUICE mission to Jupiter |url=https://spacenews.com/ariane-5-launches-esas-juice-mission-to-jupiter/ |access-date=18 April 2023 |work=SpaceNews |date=14 April 2023}}

The launch was originally scheduled for 13 April 2023, but due to poor weather the launch was postponed.{{Cite tweet |number=1646485391506042883 |user=Arianespace|title= Today's Flight #VA260 has been delayed due to weather condition (risk of lightning) at the scheduled liftoff time from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and its passenger JUICE are in stable and safe condition.|date=April 13, 2023|access-date=April 16, 2023|website=Twitter |language=en}} The next day a second launch attempt succeeded, with liftoff occurring at 12:14:36 UTC. After the spacecraft separated from the rocket, it established a successful radio signal connection with the ground at 13:04 UTC. Juice's solar arrays were deployed about half an hour later, prompting ESA to deem the launch a success.

= Trajectory =

Following the launch, there will be multiple planned gravity assists to put Juice on a trajectory to Jupiter:

  • A flyby of the Earth–Moon system in August 2024
  • Venus flyby in August 2025
  • Second flyby of Earth in September 2026
  • A third and final flyby of Earth in January 2029

Juice will pass through the asteroid belt twice. A flyby of the asteroid 223 Rosa was proposed to occur in October 2029, but was abandoned to save fuel for the primary Jovian mission.{{cite journal|doi=10.1051/0004-6361/202142600|bibcode=2021A&A...656L..18A|title=Characterisation of the main belt asteroid (223) Rosa|year=2021|last1=Avdellidou|first1=C.|last2=Pajola|first2=M.|last3=Lucchetti|first3=A.|last4=Agostini|first4=L.|last5=Delbo|first5=M.|last6=Mazzotta Epifani|first6=E.|last7=Bourdelle De Micas|first7=J.|last8=Devogèle|first8=M.|last9=Fornasier|first9=S.|last10=Van Belle|first10=G.|last11=Bruot|first11=N.|last12=Dotto|first12=E.|last13=Ieva|first13=S.|last14=Cremonese|first14=G.|last15=Palumbo|first15=P.|journal=Astronomy & Astrophysics|volume=656|pages=L18|s2cid=244753425|doi-access=free|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03480880/file/aa42600-21.pdf}}{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Haygen |date=20 March 2023 |title=As launch approaches, JUICE project manager discusses trajectories and science |url=https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/03/juice-project-manager/ |website=NASASpaceFlight.com |access-date=12 April 2023 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412085250/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2023/03/juice-project-manager/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite tweet |author=European Space Agency |user=ESA_JUICE |number=1735309949272465799 |title=🧃 Time for another visit to the #ESAJuice bar 😉 At 8⃣% of the way to Jupiter, we have an update on our journey. We had been considering slightly diverting Juice to visit an asteroid en route to #Jupiter. To maximise fuel for our main mission (the tour around the gas giant and its icy moons), we have decided against this asteroid flyby.}}

Gravity assists include:{{cite web |date=March 2012 |title=JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) |url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/mar2012/presentations/Friday/5_JUICE_Summary.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109155839/http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/mar2012/presentations/Friday/5_JUICE_Summary.pdf |archive-date=9 January 2014 |access-date=18 July 2013 |website=Universities Space Research Association |publisher=European Space Agency}}

  • Interplanetary transfer (Earth, Venus, Earth, Earth)
  • Jupiter orbit insertion and apocentre reduction with multiple Ganymede gravity assists
  • Reduction of velocity with Ganymede–Callisto assists
  • Increase inclination with 10–12 Callisto gravity assists

{{multiple image

| align = left

| direction = horizontal

| width = 250

| header = Trajectories of Juice

| image1 = Animation of JUICE around Sun.gif

| caption1 = Around the Sun

| image2 = Animation of JUICE around Jupiter.gif

| caption2 = Around Jupiter

| image3 = Animation of JUICE around Ganymede.gif

| caption3 = Around Ganymede

| footer = {{legend2| Yellow|Sun}}{{·}}{{legend2| RoyalBlue|Earth}}{{·}}{{legend2| Magenta|Juice}}{{·}}{{legend2|Gold|Venus}}{{·}}{{legend2|Cyan|223 Rosa}}{{·}}{{legend2|Lime|Jupiter}}{{·}}{{legend2|DarkTurquoise|Ganymede}}{{·}}{{legend2|Olive|Callisto }}{{·}}{{legend2|Maroon|Europa}}

}}

{{-}}

= Summary of intended Jupiter mission phases =

The main characteristics of the Jupiter reference tour are summarised below (source: Table 5-2 of ESA/SRE(2014)1). This scenario assumed an early June 2022 launch, however, the delta-V requirements are representative due to the rather short, repetitive orbital configurations of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

class="wikitable"
EventDurationDelta-V notes
Jupiter orbit insertion:

When it arrives in the Jovian system in July 2031, Juice will first perform a {{cvt|400|km|mi}} Ganymede gravity assist flyby to reduce spacecraft velocity by ~{{cvt|300|m/s|mph}}, followed by ~{{cvt|900|m/s|mph}} Jupiter orbit insertion engine burn ~7.5 hours later. Finally, a Perijove Raising Manoeuvre (PRM) burn at apoapsis will raise the periapsis of Juice's initial 13x243 Jovian radii elongated orbit to match that of Ganymede (15 Rj).

186 days{{cvt|952|m/s|mph}}.
2nd Ganymede flyby to initial encounter with Callisto: 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ganymede flyby to reduce the orbital period and inclination of Juice's orbit, followed by 1st flyby of Callisto.193 days{{cvt|27|m/s|mph}}.
Europa phase: Starting in July 2032, there will be two <{{cvt|400|km|mi}} flybys of Europa followed by another Callisto flyby. The brief Europa encounters (during which the probe is expected to sustain a third of its lifetime radiation exposure{{Cite web|url=https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Jupiter_s_radiation_belts_and_how_to_survive_them|title=Jupiter's radiation belts – and how to survive them|website=www.esa.int}}) are planned such that the radiation exposure is as low as possible, first by encountering Europa at perijove (i.e. the spacecraft's perijove is equal to Europa’s orbital radius), and second by having only one low perijove passage per Europa flyby.35 days{{cvt|30|m/s|mph}}.
Inclined phase: ~6 further flybys of Callisto and Ganymede to temporarily increase the orbital inclination to 22 degrees. This will allow an investigation of Jupiter's polar regions and Jupiter's magnetosphere at the maximum inclination over a four-month period.208 days{{cvt|13|m/s|mph}}.
Transfer to Ganymede: A series of Callisto and Ganymede gravity assists will be performed to gradually reduce Juice's speed by {{cvt|1600|m/s|mph}}. Finally, a series of distant ~{{cvt|45000|km|mi}} flybys of the far side of Ganymede (near the Jupiter-Ganymede-L2 Lagrange point) will further reduce the required orbital insertion delta-V by {{cvt|500|m/s|mph}}.353 days{{cvt|60|m/s|mph}}.
Ganymede orbital phase: In December 2034, Juice will enter an initial 12-hour polar orbit around Ganymede after performing a {{cvt|185|m/s|mph}} delta-V braking burn. Jupiter gravitational perturbations will gradually reduce the minimum orbital altitude to {{cvt|500|km|mi}} after ~100 days. The spacecraft will then perform two major engine firings to enter a nearly circular {{cvt|500|km|mi}} polar orbit, for a further six months of observations (e.g. Ganymede's composition and magnetosphere). The orbital phase includes a final stage at 200 km altitude.[https://bsky.app/profile/esascience.esa.int/post/3li57s426kk26 The project is working on defining the orbits during the Ganymede orbital phase that now includes a final stage at 200 km altitude.] ESA Space Science Bluesky Account. February 14, 2025. At the end of 2035, Jupiter perturbations will cause Juice to impact onto Ganymede within weeks as the spacecraft runs out of propellant.284 days{{cvt|614|m/s|mph}}.
Full tour (Jupiter orbit insertion to end of mission)1259 days{{cvt|1696|m/s|mph}}.

Science objectives

File:Ganymede - June 26 1996 (26781123830).jpg spacecraft]]

File:Europa g1 true.jpg

The Juice orbiter will perform detailed investigations on Ganymede and evaluate its potential to support life. Investigations of Europa and Callisto will complete a comparative picture of these Galilean moons.{{cite web |date=16 March 2012 |title=JUICE—Science objectives |url=http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50068 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608082915/http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=50068 |archive-date=8 June 2013 |access-date=20 April 2012 |website=ESA Science & Technology |publisher=European Space Agency}} The three moons are thought to harbour internal liquid water oceans, and so are central to understanding the habitability of icy worlds.

The main science objectives for Ganymede, and to a lesser extent for Callisto, are:

  • Characterisation of the ocean layers and detection of putative subsurface water reservoirs
  • Topographical, geological and compositional mapping of the surface
  • Study of the physical properties of the icy crusts
  • Characterisation of the internal mass distribution, dynamics and evolution of the interiors
  • Investigation of Ganymede's tenuous atmosphere
  • Study of Ganymede's intrinsic magnetic field and its interactions with the Jovian magnetosphere.

For Europa, the focus is on the chemistry essential to life, including organic molecules, and on understanding the formation of surface features and the composition of the non-water-ice material. Furthermore, Juice will provide the first subsurface sounding of the moon, including the first determination of the minimal thickness of the icy crust over the most recently volcanically-active regions.

More distant spatially resolved observations will also be carried out for several minor irregular satellites and the volcanically active moon Io.

Science instruments

File:Juice’s science instruments ESA24640659.png

File:Testing Juice's RIME antenna in the Hertz facility ESA24856935.jpg

On 21 February 2013, after a competition, 11 science instruments were selected by ESA, which were developed by science and engineering teams from all over Europe, with participation from the US.{{cite news |date=21 February 2013 |title=ESA chooses instruments for its Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer |work=ESA Science & Technology |publisher=ESA |url=http://sci.esa.int/juice/51417-esa-chooses-instruments-for-its-jupiter-icy-moons-explorer/ |url-status=live |access-date=17 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101112115/http://sci.esa.int/juice/51417-esa-chooses-instruments-for-its-jupiter-icy-moons-explorer/ |archive-date=1 November 2013}}{{cite web |date=7 March 2013 |title=JUICE science payload |url=http://sci.esa.int/juice/50073-science-payload/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422083522/http://sci.esa.int/juice/50073-science-payload/ |archive-date=22 April 2014 |access-date=24 March 2014 |website=ESA Science & Technology |publisher=European Space Agency}}{{cite web |date=11 November 2013 |title=The JUICE Instruments |url=http://smsc.cnes.fr/JUICE/GP_instruments.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324154159/http://smsc.cnes.fr/JUICE/GP_instruments.htm |archive-date=24 March 2014 |access-date=24 March 2014 |website=National Centre for Space Studies |publisher=}}{{cite web |title=Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE): Science objectives, mission and instruments |url=http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2014/pdf/2717.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324171146/http://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2014/pdf/2717.pdf |archive-date=24 March 2014 |access-date=24 March 2014 |website=Universities Space Research Association |publisher=45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014)}} Japan also contributed several components for SWI, RPWI, GALA, PEP, JANUS and J-MAG instruments, and will facilitate testing.{{Cite web |title=JUICE-JAPAN |url=https://juice.stp.isas.jaxa.jp/home/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714165441/https://juice.stp.isas.jaxa.jp/home/ |archive-date=14 July 2020 |access-date=14 July 2020 |website=JAXA}}{{Cite journal|last1=Saito|first1=Y.|last2=Sasaki|first2=S.|last3=Kimura|first3=J.|last4=Tohara|first4=K.|last5=Fujimoto|first5=M.|last6=Sekine|first6=Y.|date=1 December 2015|title=Current Status of Japanese Participation to Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer "JUICE"|journal=AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts|url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.P11B2074S|volume=2015|pages=P11B–2074|bibcode=2015AGUFM.P11B2074S|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=14 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414205624/https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015AGUFM.P11B2074S|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=木星氷衛星探査衛星 JUICE – 日本が JUICE で目指すサイエンス |trans-title=Jupiter Ice Moon Exploration Satellite JUICE – Science that Japan is aiming for with JUICE |url=https://repository.exst.jaxa.jp/dspace/bitstream/a-is/560280/1/SA6000046112.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112132749/https://repository.exst.jaxa.jp/dspace/bitstream/a-is/560280/1/SA6000046112.pdf |archive-date=12 November 2019 |access-date=14 April 2023 |website=JAXA}}

; Jovis, Amorum ac Natorum Undique Scrutator (JANUS)

:The name is Latin for "comprehensive observation of Jupiter, his love affairs and descendants."{{cite web |last=Köhler |first=Ulrich |date=December 2021 |title=Of Distant Moons and Oceans |url=https://www.dlr.de/content/en/downloads/2021/dlrmagazine-169-jumping-on-board-the-digital-transformation.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3#page=18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526151208/https://www.dlr.de/content/en/downloads/2021/dlrmagazine-169-jumping-on-board-the-digital-transformation.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3#page=18 |archive-date=26 May 2022 |access-date=13 August 2022 |work=German Aerospace Center |pages=34–37}} It is a camera system to image Ganymede and interesting parts of the surface of Callisto at better than 400 m/pixel (resolution limited by mission data volume). Selected targets will be investigated in high-resolution with a spatial resolution from 25 m/pixel down to 2.4 m/pixel with a 1.3° field of view. The camera system has 13 panchromatic, broad and narrow-band filters in the 0.36 μm to 1.1 μm range, and provides stereo imaging capabilities. JANUS will also allow relating spectral, laser and radar measurements to geomorphology and thus will provide the overall geological context.

; Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJISPoulet et al. Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer (MAJIS) on Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11214-024-01057-2 )

:A visible and infrared imaging spectrograph operating from 0.5 μm to 5.56 μm, with spectral resolution of 3–7 nm, that will observe tropospheric cloud features and minor gas species on Jupiter and will investigate the composition of ices and minerals on the surfaces of the icy moons. The spatial resolution will be down to {{cvt|75|m}} on Ganymede and about {{cvt|100|km}} on Jupiter.

; UV Imaging Spectrograph (UVS)

:An imaging spectrograph operating in the wavelength range 55–210 nm with spectral resolution of <0.6 nm that will characterise exospheres and aurorae of the icy moons, including plume searches on Europa, and study the Jovian upper atmosphere and aurorae. Resolution up to {{cvt|500|m}} observing Ganymede and up to {{cvt|250|km}} observing Jupiter.

; Sub-millimeter Wave Instrument (SWI)

:A spectrometer using a {{cvt|30|cm}} antenna and working in 1080–1275 GHz and 530–601 GHz with spectral resolving power of ~107 that will study Jupiter's stratosphere and troposphere, and the exospheres and surfaces of the icy moons.

; Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA)

:A laser altimeter with a {{cvt|20|m}} spot size and {{cvt|10|cm}} vertical resolution at {{cvt|200|km}} intended for studying topography of icy moons and tidal deformations of Ganymede.

; Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME)

:File:Juice’s longest antenna awaits deployment ESA24834789.jpg

:An ice-penetrating radar working at frequency of 9 MHz (1 and 3 MHz bandwidth) emitted by a {{cvt|16|m}} antenna; will be used to study the subsurface structure of Jovian moons down to {{cvt|9|km}} depth with vertical resolution up to {{cvt|30|m}} in ice.

:During post-launch commissioning of the spacecraft, the RIME antenna failed to properly deploy from its mounting bracket.{{cite web |title=Work continues to deploy Juice RIME antenna |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Work_continues_to_deploy_Juice_RIME_antenna |website=www.esa.int |access-date=5 May 2023 |language=en}} After several weeks of attempts to free the instrument, it was successfully deployed on 12 May of the same year.{{Cite web |title=Juice's RIME antenna breaks free |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_s_RIME_antenna_breaks_free |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=www.esa.int |language=en}}

; Juice-Magnetometer (J-MAG)

:File:MAGSCA flight model.jpg, is part of J-MAG]]

:Juice will study the subsurface oceans of the icy moons and the interaction of Jovian magnetic field with the magnetic field of Ganymede using a sensitive magnetometer.

; Particle Environment Package (PEP)

:A suite of six sensors to study the magnetosphere of Jupiter and its interactions with the Jovian moons. PEP will measure positive and negative ions, electrons, exospheric neutral gas, thermal plasma and energetic neutral atoms present in all domains of the Jupiter system from 1 meV to 1 MeV energy.

; Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation (RPWI)

:RPWI will characterise the plasma environment and radio emissions around the spacecraft, it is composed of four experiments: GANDALF, MIME, FRODO and JENRAGE. RPWI will use four Langmuir probes, each one mounted at the end of its own dedicated boom and sensitive up to 1.6 MHz, to characterize plasma, and receivers in the frequency range 80 kHz to 45 MHz to measure radio emissions.{{cite web |title=Payload – JUICE |url=https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/juice/payload |website=Cosmos |publisher=ESA |access-date=10 June 2024}} This scientific instrument is somewhat notable for using Sonic the Hedgehog as part of its logo.{{Cite web |script-title=ja:木星氷衛星探査機に搭載の電波観測装置が「ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ」と共に木星へ |trans-title=Radio observation equipment installed in the Jupiter ice satellite probe goes to Jupiter with 'Sonic the Hedgehog' |url=https://www.sci.tohoku.ac.jp/news/20191001-10464.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121003326/https://www.sci.tohoku.ac.jp/news/20191001-10464.html |archive-date=21 January 2023 |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=Tohoku University}}{{Cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |date=3 October 2019 |title=Actual Space Mission Picks Sonic The Hedgehog As An Official Mascot |url=https://kotaku.com/actual-space-mission-picks-sonic-the-hedgehog-as-an-off-1838720190 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003011815/https://kotaku.com/actual-space-mission-picks-sonic-the-hedgehog-as-an-off-1838720190 |archive-date=3 October 2019 |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=Kotaku |language=en}}

; Gravity and Geophysics of Jupiter and Galilean Moons (3GM)

:3GM is a radio science package comprising a Ka transponder and an ultrastable oscillator.{{cite book|doi=10.1109/EFTF.2016.7477766|isbn=978-1-5090-0720-2|chapter=An Ultra Stable Oscillator for the 3GM experiment of the JUICE mission|title=2016 European Frequency and Time Forum (EFTF)|year=2016|last1=Shapira|first1=Aviv|last2=Stern|first2=Avinoam|last3=Prazot|first3=Shemi |last4=Mann|first4=Rony|last5=Barash|first5=Yefim|last6=Detoma|first6=Edoardo|last7=Levy|first7=Benny|pages=1–5|s2cid=2489857}} 3GM will be used to study the gravity field – up to degree 10 – at Ganymede and the extent of internal oceans on the icy moons, and to investigate the structure of the neutral atmospheres and ionospheres of Jupiter (0.1 – 800 mbar) and its moons. 3GM carries Israeli-built atomic clock "that will measure tiny vacillations in a radio beam".{{Cite web|url=https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/israeli-instrument-bound-jupiter|title=Israeli Instrument Bound for Jupiter |date=7 January 2016|website=Weizmann Wonder Wander |publisher=Weizmann Institute of Science}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.space.gov.il/en/news-space/133855|title=ESA will launch JUICE to Jupiter, with Israeli technologies and scientific research|publisher=Israeli Space Agency}}

; Planetary Radio Interferometer and Doppler Experiment (PRIDE)

:The experiment will generate specific signals transmitted by Juice's antenna and received by very-long-baseline interferometry to perform precision measurements of the gravity fields of Jupiter and its icy moons.

See also

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

References

{{Reflist}}