Juice encapsulated in Ariane 5 fairing
On 4 April, Juice was encapsulated inside the Ariane 5’s fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft. Here we see the fairing (top) coming down over the Juice spacecraft (bottom). This followed the placement of Juice atop the Ariane 5 on 1 April. Juice will remain inside the fairing during launch. Shortly after launch, the fairing will open up and Juice will separate from the rocket.
Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023. After an eight-year journey to Jupiter, the mission will make detailed observations of the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of instruments. The mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.
