JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)
Mission overview
JUICE is ESA's mission to study Jupiter's icy moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa.
Primary-source verification
Committed mission facts cross-checked against the official ESA primary source — ESA — Juice.
| Launch date | 2023-04-14 | Confirmed by primary |
Verified by corroboration against the official agency document: a launch date is “Confirmed by primary” only when the page literally states it; a launch mass only when the page states a figure equal to it within catalogue rounding (±0.5%). Source precedence is primary agency > peer-reviewed > official mission page > structured secondary > Wikidata; a primary source outranks Wikidata but no engineering value is transcribed from the page — an uncorroborated value is kept as its original (secondary) source, never re-labelled primary. Checked 2026-07-12.
Derived values
Computed from source-backed inputs via standard formulae — not observations. Every input and constant is traced below.
- Time since launch3.2 yearscalculated
Formula & inputs
Formula: Δt = reference − launch (v1.0.0, impl v1.0.0)
Inputs:
- launchDate = 19461 days (JD-like) · ESA
Limitations: A time-dependent value: it is elapsed time as of the stated reference instant, not a fixed total.; Elapsed time since launch is not the same as time spent operating at the target.
Uncertainty: not propagated (inputs carry no catalogued uncertainty)
Computed as of 2026-06-29.
Outcome & discoveries
In transit to Jupiter, where it will eventually orbit Ganymede.
Mission profile
Knowledge connections
- Operated byESA
- Launched byAriane 5
- Launched fromGuiana Space Centre
- Mission targetJupiter
- Mission targetEuropa
- Member of groupOcean Worlds
Related missions
| Mission | Type | Agency | Launch | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BepiColomboMercury | Orbiter | ESA | 2018-10-20 | En route |
| Venus ExpressVenus | Orbiter | ESA | 2005-11-09 | Completed |
| Mars ExpressMars | Orbiter | ESA | 2003-06-02 | Active |
| RosettaComet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko | Orbiter and lander | ESA | 2004-03-02 | Completed |
| Solar OrbiterThe Sun | Solar observatory | ESA | 2020-02-10 | Active |
| GaiaSun–Earth L2 | Astrometry observatory | ESA | 2013-12-19 | Completed |
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- ESAEuropean Space Agency
European missions, observatories, and space science imagery.