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Juice: Europe's mission to Jupiter's icy moons

A European mission to search for life-friendly conditions on Jupiter's icy moons.

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Juice in 32 seconds

A short animation explains the journey and the research goal.

Schematic animation of Juice, Jupiter and its icy moons

01 · THE JOURNEY

A distant destination.

Juice is on its way to Jupiter. Planetary flybys help the spacecraft change course and save propellant.

Schematic illustration · not live data
01 / 04

Positions, sizes, speeds and trajectories are illustrative. The ocean cross-section shows a scientific concept, not a measurement by Juice. The animation has no sound.

THE OCCUPIED MISSION STAND

Where does the mission stand?

Last editorially verified: Earth flyby on the way to Jupiter (28 Sept 2026).

What's next?

Planned for January 2029: Juice Earth Flyby

Date source ↗

Editorial source record ↗ · As of 27 Oct 2026 · Schedule retrieved: 29 Oct 2026, 15:36 UTC. Dates may change.

Could there be life-friendly conditions under Jupiter's icy moons?

The probe investigates Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Decisive are water, energy and chemical conditions under the ice. The mission examines possible habitats; this does not imply evidence of life.

Why does the journey take so long?

Flybys of planets change the trajectory and save fuel. The direct distance alone therefore does not describe the journey.

Why exactly the icy moons?

Under their ice crusts, oceans are suspected. Juice is to examine their properties and environment more closely.

What does the journey preview show?

Calculated positions and distances from NASA/JPL Horizons. It does not show onboard measurements and does not show a complete trajectory.

What it is for Juice?

Under the ice crusts of Ganymed, Callisto and Europa, oceans are suspected. Juice is to clarify whether there is water, energy and chemistry for life there.

The European-led mission uses international contributions – scientific independence and cooperation go hand in hand.

Who is behind it and where is the mission?

Mission
ESA with international partners
Editorial portrait status
2026-10-27
Rocket
Ariane 5
Launch Site
Kourou, French Guiana
Europe's contribution
European-led · joint

Mission profile, no upcoming launch. Current flight manoeuvres on the ESA page.

The journey in stages

Editorially verified stages, checked on 2026-10-27. Aktuelle Quelltermine stehen im automatisch abgeglichenen Missionsstand.

  1. 14 Apr 2023 · confirmed by the source

    Launch with Ariane 5

    Stage at the original source ↗

  2. 28 Sept 2026 · confirmed by the source

    Earth flyby on the way to Jupiter

    Stage at the original source ↗

  3. January 2029 · planned

    Last planned Earth flyby

    Stage at the original source ↗

  4. 2031 · planned

    Arrival in the Jupiter system

    Stage at the original source ↗

Plans may change. Rough time frames are not confirmed days.

Current source reports

Where is Juice headed?

Open calculated journey preview →

Continue to follow the mission

In the app, you can bookmark the mission on this device. You will see new recorded reports there on your next visit. With RSS, you can also follow published reports in your own reader.

Subscribe to mission messages as RSS ↗

Subscribe to exact mission dates ↗

The calendar automatically adds source dates with an exact day and includes documented editorial milestones. Rough plans are not entered as fixed calendar days.

Sources and status

Editorial status: 2026-10-27. Dieses Porträt zeigt keine Live-Position.

ESA: Juice ↗ · ESA · Earth flyby and further journey ↗

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Automatically translated from German; some interface labels are reviewed. View original →. Some new text is still available in German.