Baland, R.-M. ; Van Hoolst, T. ; Trinh, A. ; Yseboodt, M. ; Karatekin, Ö. ; Lefever, K. ; Bolsée, D.

Released on 2023-04-05

Abstract: On 13 April 2023 at 14:15 Belgian time, the ESA spacecraft JUICE will take off on board an Ariane 5 launcher from ESA’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guyana. After an 8-year-long journey, JUICE, an acronym for JUpiter ICy moons Explorer, will investigate Jupiter and its icy moons, with a special focus on Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. In December 2034, the spacecraft will be inserted in orbit around Ganymede. It will be the first time a spacecraft will orbit a moon other than our own. The Royal Observatory of Belgium (ORB-KSB) and the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) are involved in this mission.

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