Plate Nº 70 · recorded October 10, 2026
Space & AstronomyReported finding
JUICE spacecraft completes 2nd Earth flyby, heads to Jupiter
On September 28, 2026, ESA's JUICE spacecraft flew just 5,369 miles above the Indian Ocean — the second of three Earth flybys before reaching Jupiter in 2031. The mission will study icy moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
By James Calloway3 min read686 words
In brief
- JUICE passed within 5,369 miles (8,640 km) of Earth on September 28, 2026, with closest approach at 6:45 a.m. CDT (11:45 UTC).
- The spacecraft launched on April 14, 2023, from ESA's spaceport in French Guiana and will arrive at Jupiter in July 2031.
- At Jupiter, JUICE will perform 35 flybys of Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, then orbit Ganymede for about three years.
- The jammed RIME antenna was freed on May 12, 2023, after three weeks of troubleshooting using thrusters, sunlight, and a mechanical actuator.
ESA's JUICE spacecraft swept within 5,369 miles (8,640 kilometers) of Earth on September 28, 2026, completing a gravity-assist flyby that bends its path toward Jupiter. The European Space Agency confirmed the flyby succeeded. This was the second of three planned Earth passes before the spacecraft reaches the gas giant in 2031.
When did the flyby happen?
Closest approach came at 6:45 a.m. CDT (11:45 UTC) on Monday, September 28. JUICE passed above the Indian Ocean at an altitude shorter than 70% of Earth's diameter. The International Space Station orbits at roughly 250 miles above Earth's surface, putting the flyby's altitude in perspective.
What did the spacecraft see?
Onboard cameras captured fresh images during the encounter. One view, taken two minutes after closest approach, shows Madagascar with rivers, clouds, and coastline visible. A separate image, snapped eight hours before closest approach, caught the moon as a thin crescent with its left side lit. Africa and the Indian Ocean also appeared in the frames.
Why does JUICE need Earth's gravity?
A gravity assist uses a planet's gravitational pull to bend a spacecraft's path and change its speed without burning extra fuel. ESA framed the maneuver as a dress rehearsal for the science instruments.
"The Earth flyby is a great opportunity to calibrate instruments, figure out how best to work with them in space (where they always work a little differently to on Earth!), and develop data analysis tools," ESA said. "But the icy moon flybys will be the real deal, and Juice needs to be ready to collect the best possible scientific data."
What is JUICE's full path to Jupiter?
JUICE launched on April 14, 2023, from ESA's spaceport in French Guiana. Lightning pushed the liftoff back by one day. The spacecraft is now halfway through a multi-year journey that includes several gravity boosts:
- August 19-20, 2024: a combined moon-Earth flyby that slowed the spacecraft
- August 31, 2025: a Venus flyby that added speed
- September 28, 2026: the second Earth flyby, just completed
- January 2029: a third Earth flyby, the last gravity boost before Jupiter
After 2031, JUICE will conduct 35 flybys of the Galilean moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. It will then enter orbit around Ganymede, the solar system's largest moon.
What will JUICE study at Jupiter?
ESA's stated mission is "to make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons — Ganymede, Callisto and Europa — with a suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments." Scientists want to characterize these moons as both planetary bodies and possible habitats for life.
On Europa, JUICE will look for organic molecules, carbon-containing compounds that form the chemistry of life on Earth. At Ganymede, the spacecraft will orbit as low as 125 miles (200 km) for about three years, then end its mission by impacting the moon's surface.
Ganymede objectives include:
- Characterizing ocean layers and detecting possible subsurface water reservoirs
- Mapping the surface topographically, geologically, and chemically
- Studying the physical properties of the icy crust
- Investigating the internal mass distribution, dynamics, and interior evolution
- Probing the exosphere, the thin upper atmosphere
- Studying Ganymede's magnetic field and its interaction with Jupiter's magnetosphere
What was the stuck antenna problem?
JUICE's primary antenna, the RIME (Radar for Icy Moons Exploration) instrument, jammed shortly after launch. RIME will eventually probe Jupiter's icy moons to a depth of 5.5 miles (9 km). Ground controllers spent three weeks troubleshooting in deep space.
Engineers fired thrusters to shake the antenna loose, then warmed the jammed components in sunlight. On May 12, 2023, a mechanical device called an actuator finally freed the stuck antenna.
What's next?
ESA said the spacecraft will keep imaging Earth from a distance around October 2. After January 2029's third Earth flyby, JUICE will coast toward Jupiter, arriving in July 2031. Eight-year-old Yaryna from Ukraine will have a piece of her art riding along — ESA painted her winning entry on the Ariane 5 rocket that launched JUICE.
via esa.int (Original)
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Staff writer covering marketplaces and e-commerce at SciBeat.
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