Week 15, 2023: Europe's First Mission to Jupiter Successfully Launches!
JUICE lifts off from ELA-3 during the penultimate flight of the Ariane 5 rocket, 2023-Apr-14
On April 14, 2023 the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) orbiter is successfully launched atop the penultimate flight of the Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana. The successful launch marks the beginning of an ambitious voyage to uncover the secrets of the ocean worlds around giant planet Jupiter
It is now on an eight-year journey that involves three Earth flybys and one Venus flyby to gain enough energy to reach the largest planet of the Solar System. JUICE is expected to arrive by July 2031 and will become the fourth spacecraft to enter orbit around Jupiter after Galileo, Juno and Europa Clipper.
This spacecraft is available for download on Celestia here
Source: European Space Agency
Highlights for JUICE (as of 2023-Apr-15)
Juice Launch Livestream - YouTube
Official livestream of the launch of JUICE, 2023-Apr-14
JUICE being mounted on its Ariane 5 rocket, 2023-Apr-1
Leaving Earth shortly after launch, 2023-Apr-14
Celestia simulation of JUICE orbiting on Jupiter, 2031-2034
Planned trajectory of JUICE towards Jupiter, 2023-2031