NASA has unveiled the clearest images yet of Earth’s magnetosphere radiation belt. Remarkably, the spacecraft responsible for this achievement wasn’t solely designed for exploring this critical atmospheric layer that protects our planet from harmful cosmic rays. Instead, it is embarking on a multi-year mission to Jupiter.
Launched on April 14, 2023, the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is currently on its journey to the largest planet in our Solar System. Upon its arrival in July 2031, JUICE is set to study Jupiter’s magnetosphere and gather valuable data on three of its 79 moons: Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. To ensure a precise trajectory and speed as it makes its way to Jupiter, the spacecraft will utilize the gravitational forces of several planets for assistance. NASA reports that engineers aimed to maximize the benefits from JUICE’s initial close encounters.
In an announcement on October 1, the agency provided details on the new images and discussed the first-ever lunar-Earth flyby and double gravity assist maneuver in history. The mission commenced on August 19, when the first of two instruments, known as the Jovian Energetic Electrons (JoEE) tool, activated as JUICE flew approximately 465 miles above the lunar surface. During this 30-minute window, JoEE gathered crucial data on how the space environment around the moon impacts Earth’s only permanent natural satellite. This brief experiment served as a successful trial for what JoEE aims to achieve on a far larger scale when it approaches Jupiter.
But JUICE still had more to accomplish. On August 20, the spacecraft traversed Earth’s magnetosphere from about 37,000 miles above the Pacific Ocean. At this stage, the onboard Jovian Energetic Neutrals and Ions (JENI) instrument, created by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), underwent its own significant test. Using advanced camera sensors, JENI documented energized neutral atoms released by charged particles interacting with Earth’s atmospheric hydrogen gas.
“I couldn’t have wished for a better flyby. The depth of the data collected from our dive through the magnetosphere is incredible,” remarked Pontus Brandt, APL’s principal investigator for JoEE and JENI, in Tuesday’s announcement. “JENI’s image capturing the entire system we recently flew through was the icing on the cake. It’s a potent combination that we will leverage in the Jovian system.”
Navigating through the million-degree plasma clouds surrounding Earth poses fewer challenges for unmanned probes compared to the serious threats these conditions present for human missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA indicates that the insights gathered from JENI and JoEE will contribute to better preparations for these and other future space travel challenges.
As for JUICE, it is currently heading toward Venus, where it will perform a gravitational slingshot in August 2025. Subsequently, it will return to Earth for further passes in September 2026 and January 2029, before finally making its way to Jupiter.
