Europe's Jupiter probe to stage daring lunar-Earth fly-by
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[August 20, 2024]
By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) -European scientists were poised to attempt a first in
orbital gymnastics late on Monday, tapping into the gravity of the Moon
and then the Earth in quick succession to guide the JUICE probe towards
Jupiter in the first-ever double slingshot manoeuvre.
Just over a year after it was launched, the European Space agency's
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is returning towards Earth on Aug.
19-20 and will use the braking effect of its gravity to take a shortcut
to Venus and onwards to Jupiter.
In a novel double manoeuvre, the JUICE probe will first use the gravity
of the Moon to swing towards Earth on exactly the right trajectory.
That is risky because the slightest error at that stage would be
amplified by the second part of the routine which involves using Earth's
gravity to slow down. Scientists warn that could derail the eight-year
odyssey to reach Jupiter and its moons.
"Inherently this is a bit tricky, because you would need to correct any
error, and you would need propellant for that," Nicolas Altobelli, JUICE
Mission Manager, said in an interview.
ESA said the Airbus-built probe was due to pass 750 km (465 miles) from
the Moon's surface at its closest point.
Scientists have used the "gravity assist" method for decades to navigate
the solar system while saving propellant.
It involves brushing past a planet or moon and using the power of its
gravity to speed up, slow down or alter course.
But this week's lunar-Earth fly-by involves the first ever attempt to
carry out two such manoeuvres back-to-back.
If successful, it will put JUICE on course to reach Jupiter and its
three large ocean-bearing moons - Callisto, Europa and Ganymede - in
2031 with the help of three further single gravity assists: Venus in
2025, and then Earth again in 2026 and 2029.
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The JUpiter ICy moons Explorer mission, JUICE, is seen in this
artist's impression handout from NASA. REUTERS/NASA/ESA/AOES/Handout
/File Photo
ESA scientists had weighed several options for getting Juice to
Jupiter without the unrealistically large rocket that would be
needed to get it there without any gravity assists at all.
Using the Moon's gravity to change course allowed them to catch
Earth in front of its orbit around the Sun, which has the effect of
slowing down the probe, whereas passing behind the planet would
speed it up, Altobelli said.
That in turn allowed ESA's planners to target Venus and take
advantage of its exceptionally powerful slingshot effect.
"It's a very good configuration of the Moon's position around the
Earth ... So we are being opportunistic," Altobelli told Reuters.
Following up on NASA's 1990s Galileo mission to Jupiter, the ESA-led
JUICE mission will orbit the solar system's largest planet, perform
fly-bys of its three large icy moons and finally orbit Ganymede to
study the potential to support life.
"It means studying the conditions and understanding whether those
moons could be a potential habitat, and could have conditions
favourable for life as we know it," Altobelli said.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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