The JUS space probe has achieved a “world first” by passing close to the Moon and then Earth, a maneuver aimed at facilitating its journey to Jupiter, as announced by the European Space Agency on Wednesday, after eight years of travel along a winding path.
The maneuver saw the probe, which was launched into space last April, approach the Moon on August 19 at 9 PM GMT, before flying over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean the following day shortly before 10 PM GMT, at an altitude of less than seven thousand kilometers.
The operation involves passing near a celestial body to take advantage of its gravity, a natural force that allows the spacecraft to change trajectory and adjust its speed (either accelerating or slowing down).
The Ariane 5 rocket that launched JUS into space does not have sufficient power to propel the probe directly to Jupiter, which is approximately 800 million kilometers from Earth.
Several space missions have already utilized this method known as gravity assist, but the combination of flying over the Moon followed by a flyby of Earth is considered a “world first,” according to the European Space Agency.
During the maneuver, the probe’s speed was slightly increased as it passed near the Moon, before slowing down more significantly near Earth and notably changing its direction toward Venus, which it will reach in 2025.
It will then return to Earth for two flybys in 2026 and 2029, before finally arriving at Jupiter in July 2031.
Following this, the JUS probe will be able to observe Jupiter’s icy moons “Europa,” “Ganymede,” and “Callisto,” searching for environments suitable for the emergence of life beyond Earth.
