N° 39–2024: Media invitation: The Juice lunar-Earth flyby explained
2 August 2024
Media representatives are invited to attend an online briefing on 9 August 2024 to learn more about the Juice flyby of the Moon and Earth, foreseen for 19 and 20 August respectively. This precise manoeuvre will mark a double world first: the first ever lunar-Earth flyby and first ever double gravity assist by a spacecraft.
Juice, ESA’s mission to study Jupiter's icy moons, was launched in April 2023. It is currently on its way to Jupiter and still has seven years to go before reaching its destination. On 19 and 20 August, it will fly by the Earth and Moon in a unique braking manoeuvre. Earth will bend Juice’s trajectory through space, ‘braking’ it and redirecting it on course for a flyby of Venus in August 2025.
Mission operators have already adjusted Juice’s path to ensure that it arrives first at the Moon, then a day later at Earth, at precisely the right time, with the right speed, and travelling in the right direction. They are confident of success, but this is a risky challenge that no other space mission has ever faced before; the slightest mistake could take Juice off course and spell the end of the mission.
As Juice’s Spacecraft Operations Manager, Ignacio Tanco puts it: “It’s like passing through a very narrow corridor, very, very quickly: pushing the accelerator to the maximum when the margin at the side of the road is just millimetres.”
The lunar-Earth flyby provides a prime test environment for instrument teams to collect and analyse data from an actual surface in space, for the first time.
The Moon flyby is expected to take place on 19 August at 23:16 CEST. The Earth flyby should take place at 23:57 CEST on 20 August (nearly 25 hours later).
You can follow the position of Juice here: https://juicept.esac.esa.int/where/
Media briefing – 9 August
This media briefing will be in English only and will address the challenges of the Juice flyby from an operational and scientific angle.
Programme
11:00 CEST Welcome and short introduction of the speakers including presentations
11:20 CEST Q&A
12:00 CEST End of programme
ESA experts:
- Claire Vallat, JUICE Science Operations Scientist
- Nicolas Altobelli, JUICE Mission Manager
- Arnaud Boutonnet, JUICE Mission Analyst
- Giulio Pinzan, JUICE Spacecraft Operations Engineer
A recording will be made available afterwards.
Registration
Please express interest by 7 August at 17:00 CEST, by selecting and completing the relevant form at https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form.
After registering, media representatives will receive the link to join the online information session (Teams platform).
More Information
Learn more about Juice here:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_lunar-Earth_flyby_media_kit (dedicated lunar-Earth flyby media kit)
https://blogs.esa.int/rocketscience/
Contact
ESA Newsroom and Media Relations
Email: media@esa.int
Images
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Search?SearchText=juice&result_type=images
ESA's Photo Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa-photolibrary.com/
Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact directly spaceinimages@esa.int.
Videos
ESA's Video Library for Professionals:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Search?SearchText=Juice&result_type=videos
3d animation showing Juice's path around the Moon and Earth during the lunar-Earth flyby:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2024/07/Juice_returns_for_a_lunar-Earth_flyby
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact directly spaceinvideos@esa.int
Social media
Follow ESA on:
X: @ESA_Juice, @esascience, @esaoperations, @esa
Instagram: Europeanspaceagency,
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency
YouTube: ESA
LinkedIn: European Space Agency - ESA
Pinterest: European Space Agency - ESA
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int