A Jupiter probe recently pulled off the first double world flyby, capturing beautiful views of the Moon and Earth during a speedy shortcut through the inner solar system.
The European Space Agency (ESA) released footage from JUICE’s lunar-Earth flyby, which sent the spacecraft towards Venus en route to the Jovian system. The 1.5 minute video shows JUICE approaching the Moon and flying past its cratered surface into the darkness of space before the blue hue of Earth appears in the frame.
JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) performed the risky maneuver on August 19-20, using the gravity of the Moon and Earth to send it on a route towards Venus. “The gravity assist flyby was flawless, everything went without a hitch, and we were thrilled to see JUICE coming back so close to Earth,” Ignacio Tanco, spacecraft operations manager for JUICE, said in a statement.
The footage was captured by JUICE’s two monitoring cameras, which are designed to monitor the spacecraft’s booms and antennas. The lunar-Earth flyby also gave ground control the opportunity to test JUICE’s scientific instruments, with all “ten of them switched on during the lunar flyby and eight turning on during the Earth flyby.
“The timing and location of this double flyby allows us to thoroughly study the behaviour of Juiceās instruments,ā Claire Vallat, JUICE operations scientist, said in a statement. “It happens early enough in Juiceās journey that we can use the data to prepare the instruments for arrival at Jupiter. And given how well we know the physical properties of Earth, the Moon, and the surrounding space environment, itās also the ideal location to understand how the instruments respond to a real target.”
The spacecraft is on a eight-year journey to Jupiter to explore its icy moons for signs of habitability. Using the gravitational force of the Moon and Earth, JUICE altered its speed and direction to change its trajectory. The flyby of the Moon increased the spacecraft’s speed by 0.5 miles per second (0.9 kilometer per second) relative to the Sun, which guided the spacecraft towards Earth. After its close encounter with Earth, JUICE’s speed was reduced by 2.9 miles per second (4.8 kilometer per second) relative to the Sun, guiding it towards a new trajectory towards Venus.
The spacecraft will loop around Venus in August 2025 before heading back towards Earth. Afterwards, JUICE will perform two more flybys around its home planet, one in September 2026 and another in January 2029. JUICE’s maneuvers through the solar system are designed to put it on the correct path and help it reach the right speed to enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2031.
JUICE launched in April 2023 from Europeās Spaceport in French Guiana. Just hours after liftoff, the spacecraft captured the first moments of its 12-year mission, dedicated to studying three of Jupiterās icy moons: Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
More: JUICE spacecraft Sends Farewell Photos of Earth as it Heads for Jupiter
