ESA chooses Jupiter as destination for science probe

The European Space Agency announced Wednesday it will launch a robotic mission in 2022 on a tour of Jupiter's icy moons to examine the subsurface oceans and frozen crusts of Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. Artist's concept of the JUICE spacecraft at Jupiter. Credit: ESA/AOES Medialab Known as JUICE, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, the probe will enter orbit around the gas giant planet in 2030 for a series of flybys of Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. JUICE will brake into orbit around Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon, in 2032 for at least one year of close-up research. ESA's science program committee adopted the recommendation of the agency's space science advisors during a meeting Wednesday....