ESA mission to Jupiter: launch of the Jupiter probe postponed

Actually, she should have started her long journey towards Jupiter today. The launch of the “Juice” spacecraft has now been postponed by one day – due to a thunderstorm warning at the launch site in French Guiana.

The launch of the ESA space agency’s Jupiter probe “Juice” has been postponed due to weather conditions. There was a risk of thunderstorms at the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana, said an ESA spokesman at the control center in Darmstadt. The postponement has nothing to do with technical problems.

The start is now scheduled for Friday afternoon. The probe is to travel eight years to the gas giant Jupiter – the largest planet in the solar system – hundreds of millions of kilometers away.

In search of water

With ten instruments on board, “Juice” is primarily intended to take a look at the large moons. There, water is assumed to be under a thick layer of ice and thus the prerequisites for life.

The focus is on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. It is the largest moon in the solar system. Its surface is to be scanned with a laser. A radar can also look under the ice surface of the moon.

Overall, the moon is to be researched to the extent that conclusions can be drawn about the conditions under which life on the moon would be possible.