Airbus
Defence
and
Space
to
build
JUICE
spacecraft,
ESA’s
next
life-tracker
inside
the
Solar
System
The
European
Space
Agency
(ESA)
has
selected
Airbus
Defence
and
Space,
as
the
prime
contractor
to
develop
and
build
the
JUICE
(JUpiter
ICy
moons
Explorer)
spacecraft.
JUICE
is
the
first
large
mission
of
the
ESA
Cosmic
Vision
programme,
with
a
launch
date
in
2022.
“JUICE
will
address
the
question:
are
there
current
habitats
outside
Earth
in
the
Solar
System
with
the
necessary
conditions
to
sustain
life?”
said
François
Auque,
Head
of
Space
Systems.
“To
answer
this,
we
will
develop
and
manufacture
a
fantastic
spacecraft,
building
on
our
unique
expertise
gained
in
previous
unrivalled
space
exploration
missions.
After
the
Sun,
Mercury,
Venus,
the
Earth,
Mars,
Titan…
and
even
a
comet,
our
engineers’
next
challenge
is
to
build
this
sophisticated
spacecraft
to
explore
the
Jupiter
system.”
JUICE
is
the
first
European
mission
to
Jupiter;
its
overarching
theme
is
the
emergence
of
habitable
worlds
around
gas
giants.
JUICE
will
investigate
the
Jupiter
system,
with
a
focus
on
its
icy
moons
and
the
possibly
ocean-bearing
worlds
of
Europa,
Ganymede
and
Callisto.
The
mission
will
study
the
moons
addressing
two
key
themes:
what
are
the
conditions
for
planet
formation
and
the
emergence
of
life.
Following
a
launch
on
Ariane
5,
JUICE
will
cruise
for
7.5
years
making
extensive
use
of
gravity
assist
manoeuvres
(in
order
to
save
fuel
and
energy)
around
the
Earth,
Mars
and
Venus
before
reaching
the
Jupiter
system.
After
insertion
into
Jupiter’s
orbit,
JUICE
will
use
multiple
fly-bys
to
complete
a
comprehensive
orbital
tour
over
3.5
years.
At
the
end
of
the
tour,
JUICE
will
be
set
in
orbit
around
Ganymede,
becoming
the
first
spacecraft
ever
to
enter
orbit
around
an
icy
satellite
in
the
outer
Solar
System.
The
complex
mission
profile
will
be
supported
by
dedicated
navigation
cameras
on-board
the
spacecraft.
To
fulfil
its
scientific
mission,
the
spacecraft
will
carry
10
instruments
covering
a
wide
range
of
measurements
techniques
(optical,
sub-millimetre,
radar,
magnetic
electric,
plasma
and
particle
sensors).
To
avoid
any
perturbation
of
the
scientific
instruments,
the
spacecraft
will
have
an
unprecedented
level
of
magnetic
cleanliness.
Weighing
five
and
a
half
tonnes,
JUICE
will
be
powered
by a
large
97
m²
solar
generator,
the
largest
ever
built
for
an
interplanetary
mission.
This
will
ensure
the
spacecraft
produces
enough
energy
even
in
the
low
solar
environment
at
Jupiter.
