Jupiter mission frontrunner in ESA competition
Posted: Fri, Apr 20, 2012, 5:57 AM ET (0957 GMT)
A spacecraft that would study three of Jupiter's largest moons, including going into orbit around one of then, is the top choice of a committee selecting Europe's next major space science mission. A European Space Agency (ESA) committee met this month and select the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or Juice, as its preferred option for ESA's Cosmic Vision competition for large-scale science missions. Juice would launch in 2022 on an Ariane 5 and arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The spacecraft would make a series of close flybys of Callisto and Europa before entering orbit around Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. Juice, with a total cost of over €1 billion (US$1.3 billion) reportedly beat out proposals for a large x-ray telescope and a gravitational wave observatory. ESA will make a final decision on the Cosmic Vision mission in early May.
A spacecraft that would study three of Jupiter's largest moons, including going into orbit around one of then, is the top choice of a committee selecting Europe's next major space science mission. A European Space Agency (ESA) committee met this month and select the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or Juice, as its preferred option for ESA's Cosmic Vision competition for large-scale science missions. Juice would launch in 2022 on an Ariane 5 and arrive at Jupiter in 2030. The spacecraft would make a series of close flybys of Callisto and Europa before entering orbit around Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. Juice, with a total cost of over €1 billion (US$1.3 billion) reportedly beat out proposals for a large x-ray telescope and a gravitational wave observatory. ESA will make a final decision on the Cosmic Vision mission in early May.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
NASA announces "Grand Challenge" to identify hazardous asteroids
Posted: Wed, Jun 19 6:20 AM ET (1020 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, June 19
Positive online response to planned space lesson
China Daily — 5:53 am ET (0953 GMT) Asteroid Mining Company Planetary Resources Harnesses Freelancer.com Contest Platform For Global Marketing Campaign
PR Newswire — 5:52 am ET (0952 GMT) Interstellar Space Travel Art Contest Launches
SPACE.com — 5:50 am ET (0950 GMT) Nigeria Plans to Train Astronauts for Space Travel
This Day (Nigeria) — 5:49 am ET (0949 GMT) Rockets Top Submarines: Space Exploration Dollars Dwarf Ocean Spending
Center for American Progress — 5:49 am ET (0949 GMT) |
