ESA's JUICE mission is the first to focus on studying all three major icy Galilean moons, significantly expanding our knowledge of these celestial bodies.
No # 1
JUICE will be the first spacecraft to orbit Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, and the only moon with its own magnetic field.
No # 2
The spacecraft will carry 10 state-of-the-art instruments weighing just 104 kg (230 lbs), thanks to advancements made in previous ESA missions.
No # 3
JUICE's flybys will bring it within 200-1,000 km (120-620 miles) of the moons, providing the most detailed observations of these icy worlds to date.
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Ganymede and Europa are believed to have subsurface oceans that contain more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.
No # 5
JUICE will investigate the potential for plumes of water vapor erupting from Europa's surface, as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.
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No # 7
Callisto's ancient, cratered surface may be the oldest in the solar system, and JUICE will help determine if it also has a subsurface ocean.
No # 8
The JUICE mission will help us understand the role of tidal forces in shaping the icy moons' geological features and driving their geophysical activity.
No # 9
JUICE's findings could inform future missions to land on Europa or Ganymede, searching for signs of life in their subsurface oceans.
No # 10
The mission's success could inspire more ambitious exploration of other icy moons in our solar system, such as Saturn's Enceladus and Titan.
ESA Launches 'Juice Mission' to Explore Jupiter's Icy Moons for Clues to Habitable Worlds And even more excitingdiscoveries of Space.