The European Space Agency (ESA) signed a contract last week with aircraft manufacturer Airbus, thereby confirming the manufacturing of a spacecraft by the latter party. The spacecraft, which is already in production, will be sent on a mission called JUICE (Jupiter Icy moons Explorer). The probe will officially launch in 2022, and while its ultimate destination will be Jupiter, it will first travel around Earth, Mars, and Venus for 7.5 years before reaching the Jovian system in year 2030. It will proceed to orbit Jupiter and three of its four moons for three years, searching for extraterrestrial life.
The first of Jupiter’s Galilean moons is Ganymede, which is said to be the largest moon in the solar system. The second, Europa, is apparently twice as aqueous as Earth. The last is named Callisto, and is characterized by its icy, rocky, and largely ambiguous surface. The fourth moon is called Io, and will not be explored. It lacks water, and is largely volcanic and sulphurous. It appears to be the most volcanically active entity in the entire solar system, with volcanic plumes rising 300 km above its surface.
The ESA stated the following in its press release concerning the contract: “All three of these planet-sized satellites are thought to have oceans of liquid water beneath their icy crusts and should provide key clues on the potential for such icy moons to harbor habitable environments.”
François Auque, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, also made comment on the project: “JUICE will address the question: are there current habitats outside Earth in the Solar System with the necessary conditions to sustain life?”
JUICE will also focus on Jupiter’s atmosphere, magnetosphere, and its dark rings, which are comprised of dust and rock fragments.
