Last week, after being delayed due to weather conditions, the Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission, with Portuguese experience, departed for space. The probe has an eight-year trip to Jupiter ahead of it, but it has already sent its first “selfies” back to Earth.
The European Space Agency begins by explaining that in addition to the camera that will be used to take high-resolution images of Jupiter and its moons, The juicer is equipped with two chambersand JMC1 and JMC2, Designed to monitor the process of opening the probe’s solar panels and antennas.
Click through to see the first photos taken by Juice
The first two images recorded by JMC1, Soon after the probe left space. In them it is possible to observe a view of our planet, including the Gulf of Aden, in the north of the Indian Ocean.
JMC1 was also able to capture the opening process of the probe’s solar panels. actually JMC2 has registered one of Juice’s antennas, the Radar for Icy Moon Exploration (RIME). The antenna, which measures 16 metres, will be phased in over the next few days.
Remember, Juice’s task is to collect as much information as possible about the Jupiter system, studying in detail three of its largest moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Click on the images to remember the pros launch
Europa, Ganymede, and possibly Callisto, are believed to have oceans of salt water beneath their icy crusts. In this regard, The spacecraft will use its instruments to help scientists understand whether the moons have what it takes to support life.
Juice contains 10 state-of-the-art gadgets, including some with Portuguese expertise, as well as components manufactured by Portuguese companies. The probe is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031, when it will make 35 flybys of the icy moons. Ganymede is scheduled to arrive in December 2034, with the mission ending in September 2035.
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