JUICE Mission to Swing by Earth on September 28

JUICE, the European Space Agency's mission to Jupiter's icy moons, will perform a gravity assist with Earth on September 28th, passing within Earth's shadow at 8,640 km. This maneuver will set the spacecraft on a trajectory toward Jupiter, with a final Earth flyby in January 2029 to optimize its path. The maneuver is complex, requiring precise course corrections and careful planning to ensure the spacecraft arrives at the right angle and velocity. The flyby will rely on battery power, with some instruments shut down to conserve energy, but it will still collect data on Earth and the Moon.

• JUICE will collect data on Earth and the Moon between September 23rd and October 3rd, allowing instrument teams to calibrate their equipment.
• The mission's navigation camera team will test a new technique to improve accuracy by observing the Moon's horizon.
• JUICE will take photos throughout the flyby, which will be shared on ESA's website and social media accounts.
• The upcoming Earth flyby is simpler operationally than the 2024 lunar-Earth flyby, enabling more flexibility in pointing the spacecraft's instruments at different parts of Earth and the Moon.

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