Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer ( https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice ), is on an epic eight-year journey to Jupiter. This first episode of ‘The journey of Juice’ tells the story of Juice’s first months in space, from its launch on 14 April 2023 to its lunar-Earth gravity assist (LEGA for short, see https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_rerouted_to_Venus_in_world_s_first_lunar-Earth_flyby.) in August 2024. This flyby was not only the first double gravity assist manoeuvre of its kind, it was also a perfect opportunity to test out the spacecraft’s cameras and science instruments.
In this episode, Juice’s Mission Manager Nicolas Altobelli explains how the spacecraft will become the first ever human-made machine to orbit a moon of another planet, in this case Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede.
You’ll also hear from Claire Vallat and Marc Costa at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) near Madrid, Spain. Juice will perform incredibly complex measurements once it reaches Jupiter, and the Science Operations team at ESAC is making sure we get the most out of every instrument.
Meanwhile, the Flight Control team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, makes sure Juice is and stays on the right path. This episode shows what happened ‘behind the scenes’ before and during the lunar-Earth flyby, and stars Ignacio Tanco, Angela Dietz and members of the Juice Flight Control team as they do what they do best.
Finally, we highlight the ESA tracking station network (Estrack), another crucial component for Juice. Maintenance and Operations Engineer Belén Goméz gives a tour of the facility at Cebreros.
Following the very successful lunar-Earth flyby, Juice is now on its way to planet Venus for its next flyby. On 31 August 2025, this flyby will give Juice its second gravity boost. Tune back in next year for episode two of this series!
This series follows on from ‘The making of Juice’ series, which covered the planning, testing and launch of this once-in-a-generation mission.
Credits:
Produced by Lightcurve Films for ESA
Direction, main camera, sound, editing, post-production: Maarten Roos
Original music: William Zeitler
Camera at Cebreros during LEGA: Mikel Larequi
LEGA timelapse: Mark McCaughrean and Simeon Schmauß
Special thanks to Marc Costa (ESA - ESAC) and Jorge Fauste (ESA - ESTRACK)
#Juice #ESA
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer ( https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice ), is on an epic eight-year journey to Jupiter. This first episode of ‘The journey of Juice’ tells the story of Juice’s first months in space, from its launch on 14 April 2023 to its lunar-Earth gravity assist (LEGA for short, see https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice/Juice_rerouted_to_Venus_in_world_s_first_lunar-Earth_flyby.) in August 2024. This flyby was not only the first double gravity assist manoeuvre of its kind, it was also a perfect opportunity to test out the spacecraft’s cameras and science instruments.
In this episode, Juice’s Mission Manager Nicolas Altobelli explains how the spacecraft will become the first ever human-made machine to orbit a moon of another planet, in this case Jupiter’s largest moon Ganymede.
You’ll also hear from Claire Vallat and Marc Costa at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) near Madrid, Spain. Juice will perform incredibly complex measurements once it reaches Jupiter, and the Science Operations team at ESAC is making sure we get the most out of every instrument.
Meanwhile, the Flight Control team at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, makes sure Juice is and stays on the right path. This episode shows what happened ‘behind the scenes’ before and during the lunar-Earth flyby, and stars Ignacio Tanco, Angela Dietz and members of the Juice Flight Control team as they do what they do best.
Finally, we highlight the ESA tracking station network (Estrack), another crucial component for Juice. Maintenance and Operations Engineer Belén Goméz gives a tour of the facility at Cebreros.
Following the very successful lunar-Earth flyby, Juice is now on its way to planet Venus for its next flyby. On 31 August 2025, this flyby will give Juice its second gravity boost. Tune back in next year for episode two of this series!
This series follows on from ‘The making of Juice’ series, which covered the planning, testing and launch of this once-in-a-generation mission.
Credits:
Produced by Lightcurve Films for ESA
Direction, main camera, sound, editing, post-production: Maarten Roos
Original music: William Zeitler
Camera at Cebreros during LEGA: Mikel Larequi
LEGA timelapse: Mark McCaughrean and Simeon Schmauß
Special thanks to Marc Costa (ESA - ESAC) and Jorge Fauste (ESA - ESTRACK)
#Juice #ESA
![The Sun: Super Active 2024 [Hinode/XRT]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FoS_oKMZDaU/mqdefault.jpg "The Sun: Super Active 2024 [Hinode/XRT]
As we approach solar maximum, the Sun is reaching new levels of activity for Solar Cycle 25. The Sunspot number has consistently exceeded predictions of the cycle with 2024 especially being way above what was predicted. That means we have been consistently seeing large numbers of active regions across the disk throughout the entire year. While this doesnt always mean large flares all the time, we have had periods (such as early May) where the Sun has produced some major flares. The last few months of 2024 are shaping up to continue this trend and we hope to continue to capture exciting solar data with XRT.
Hinode is a Japanese mission developed and launched by ISAS/JAXA, with NAOJ as domestic partner and NASA and STFC (UK) as international partners. It is operated by these agencies in co-operation with ESA and the NSC (Norway). The XRT instrument team is comprised of SAO, NASA, JAXA, and NAOJ.
Credit: SAO/NASA/JAXA/NAOJ
#Sun #Hinode #JAXA")
