A spacecraft launched last year will slingshot back around Earth and the Moon next month in a high-stakes, world-first manoeuvre as it pinballs its way through the Solar System to Jupiter.
Since launching last year, this is JUICE’s first gravity assist. The rest of the route is Venus in a year, Earth again a year after that, three years of being flung out beyond Mars before falling back to pass by Earth in 2029 for one final gravity assist to get all the way to Jupiter
I’ll wave as it goes by!
Since launching last year, this is JUICE’s first gravity assist. The rest of the route is Venus in a year, Earth again a year after that, three years of being flung out beyond Mars before falling back to pass by Earth in 2029 for one final gravity assist to get all the way to Jupiter