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Well-placed observers have a rare opportunity to see an interplanetary spacecraft early next week.<\/em><\/p>\n If skies are clear, dedicated observers and imagers have a shot early next week at seeing a spacecraft headed to Jupiter.<\/p>\n The Mission is JUICE, the European Space Agency\u2019s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. Launched atop an Ariane-5 rocket from Kourou Space Center in French Guiana on April 14th<\/sup>, 2023, JUICE is due to arrive at Jupiter in 2031. But first, the spacecraft will perform several planetary flybys to pick up speed, hurdling it towards the outer solar system.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n JUICE marks several firsts for space exploration and ESA. JUICE is the first non-NASA solo mission to the outer solar system, as well as the first ESA mission to Jupiter. The mission also follows in the footsteps of NASA\u2019s Juno mission, utilizing enormous solar panels instead of a nuclear-powered MMRTG for power.<\/p>\n In another first, JUICE will perform the first-ever twin Earth-Moon flyby for this upcoming boost. This is a challenging \u2018thread the needle,\u2019 sort of maneuver, as the Moon flyby sets up the spacecraft for the Earth flyby. The maneuver is termed a \u2018LEGA,\u2019 or Lunar-Earth Gravitational Assist. JUICE fired its engines for 43 minutes last year to set it up for this month\u2019s Earth-Moon flyby. A series of four smaller course correction burns were recently carried out, starting with a 31-second maneuver on July 22nd<\/sup>. <\/p>\n The big test for the spacecraft will come in 2031, when JUICE fires up its main engines for orbital insertion around Jupiter. The trick during any engine burn for the spacecraft is to not induce any unwanted wobbles in the enormous cruciform-shaped solar panels.<\/p>\nFirsts for ESA <\/h2>\n