Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Captures Stunning Earth and Moon Views

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission has captured unique views of craters on the moon and clouds in Earth’s atmosphere during its journey to Jupiter. The spacecraft captured these images while flying close to Earth to use Earth’s gravity to redirect itself towards its next stop in its eight-year journey to the Jovian system. JUICE launched towards the giant gas planet in April 2023, but its trajectory to Jupiter is a winding one, involving stops at Earth and Venus. These visits aim to leverage gravity to give JUICE enough speed to propel itself out of the inner solar system with minimal fuel, allowing it to rendezvous with Jupiter in July 2031. Its first flyby of Earth occurred on August 20, 2024, following a close encounter with the moon the previous day. The images were captured by JUICE’s scientific camera, called JANUS, and show the high-resolution capabilities of the camera, which will be crucial for studying Jupiter and its moons upon arrival.