The light is green for an eight year odyssey. The European space probe Juice will explore Jupiter and its icy moons in search of a habitable environment for extraterrestrial life forms. “Weather conditions are good,” Marie-Anne Claire, director of the Guiana Space Center, announced on Wednesday in the Jupiter control room, where famous personalities gathered, including King Philippe of the Belgians or French astronaut Thomas Pescet.
Probe weighing over six tons installed, solar arrays stacked, in launcher radome, ready to fly over Guyanese forest at 12:15 GMT. It will separate from the rocket 28 minutes after takeoff at an altitude of 1,500 km, Arianespace president Stefan Israel said.
Juice will then embark on a long cruise to Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, about 628 million kilometers from Earth. “This is one of the most complex spacecraft ever sent outside the solar system,” said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher.
Arrival is scheduled for July 2031. The journey promises to be tortuous, as it is impossible to get to Jupiter in a straight line. Watch takeoff live.
Source: Le Parisien
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