Europe's Ariane 5 Rocket Launch: Jupiter Space Probe | Flight VA260 | Arianespace

Europe's Ariane 5 Rocket Launch: Jupiter Space Probe | Flight VA260 | Arianespace

On Friday, April 14, 2023, at 09:14 am local time, an Ariane 5 launcher, operated by Arianespace, successfully lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying the European Space Agency (ESA) JUICE space probe.

The spacecraft, built by Airbus Defence and Space for the European Space Agency (ESA), will carry out Europe’s first mission to Jupiter. It will spend at least three years making detailed observations of the planet’s icy moons: Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which will arrived in July 2031. JUICE will study the moons as potential habitats for life, addressing two key questions: what are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life, and how does the solar system work?

The propulsion system for the JUICE spacecraft was developed, built, and integrated in Germany by ArianeGroup’s Orbital Propulsion teams, and comprises the 400 N main engine to be used for Jupiter orbit injection, 20 small thrusters, and two titanium propellant tanks.

After this mission, one Ariane 5 launch remains before Ariane 6 takes up the baton, supporting Europe’s institutional missions and meeting the rapidly growing needs of the commercial market.

The Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher is an ESA program carried out in cooperation between public institutions and industry across 12 European partner countries.

ArianeGroup delivers a flight-ready launcher on the launch pad to its subsidiary Arianespace, which markets and operates Ariane 5 from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana. During launch campaigns, Arianespace works closely with the French space agency (CNES), the design authority for Ariane 5 and responsible for the satellite preparation facilities and the launch base.

THE LAUNCH AT A GLANCE:

- 346th launch operated by Arianespace

- More than 1150 satellites launched by Arianespace

- 6058kg is the total payload carried by the launcheR for this mission

Credit: Arianespace

Duration: 1 minute

Release Date: June 2, 2023

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