The launch of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE mission, which aims to investigate whether Jupiter’s icy moons could support life, has been delayed by 24 hours due to bad weather. Originally scheduled for 1215 GMT on Thursday (April 13), the ESA has announced that the next attempt will take place on Friday, within 30 seconds of the same time.
The decision to postpone the launch was made because of the threat of lightning in cloudy skies. CEO of French firm Arianespace, Stephane Israel, has said that the risk of lightning will be monitored until the last moment on Friday. Three parameters must be given the green light for a successful launch: the launcher, the probe, and the weather.
The JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission remains on course to reach Jupiter in July 2031. The six-tonne spacecraft, uncrewed, will investigate Jupiter’s icy moons, which are thought to potentially host life due to the discovery of huge oceans of liquid water beneath their icy shells.
Once launched, JUICE will take a winding path to Jupiter, using other planets for a gravitational boost along the way. The probe will first fly-by Earth and the Moon, then slingshot around Venus in 2025 before swinging past Earth again in 2029.
Finally, the probe will arrive at Jupiter in 2031 and will carefully enter its orbit to focus on Jupiter’s three icy moons: Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
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