With scientific instruments manufactured in the UK on board, flight controllers will navigate the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) past the moon and eventually Earth.
By using the gravity of the moon and then Earth as a natural brake to slow down and then accelerate to the next part of its voyage, Juice will take a dangerous detour to Jupiter via Venus.
The mission will travel 4.1 billion miles over the course of more than eight years, starting in April 2023.
Ten scientific equipment are on board to look into the possibility of life existing in the waters of Jupiter’s three moons, Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede.
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) experts acknowledge that even the smallest error might cause the spacecraft to go off course and destroy the mission.
According to the agency, a double world first will occur with the lunar-Earth fly-by and the double gravity assist maneuver from approximately 11.57 p.m. on Monday until the early hours of Tuesday.
Juice’s path through space will be altered by the motion, which also modifies its direction and speed.
Juice’s path through space will be bent by Earth, rerouting it to pass Venus in August 2025.
