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The Making of Juice series takes the viewer behind the scenes of the European space industry, space technology and planetary science communities around ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission.

Juice has a state-of-the-art science payload comprising remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments. This episode focuses on the geophysics instruments, which will explore the moons’ surface and subsurface, probe the atmospheres of Jupiter and its moons, and measure their gravity fields.

The GAnymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) will study the tidal deformation of Ganymede and the topography of the surfaces of the icy moons. The Radar for Icy Moons

Image: Shaun the Sheep is baaa-ck

Astra is still planning to conduct a first launch of its Rocket 4 vehicle before the end of the year as it scales up production of spacecraft electric propulsion systems.

The idea behind ESA’s GENESIS mission is simple: a fixed framework is needed to chart the relative positions of locations across our planet, and satellites in orbit serve as the foundation of this framework. Fix a satellite’s own position in space accurately enough and you can measure Earth under it much more precisely too.   

Image: Inflatable fuel tank offers extra space for space

The flag of Belgium flew proudly over ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands as ESTEC was honoured with a visit by Thomas Dermine, Belgium’s State Secretary for Science Policy, Recovery Program and Strategic Investments, accompanied by new Belgian astronaut Raphaël Liégeois.

Washington DC (SPX) Mar 29, 2023
A new study has revealed insights into how cells sense and respond to the weightlessness experienced in space. The information could be useful for keeping astronauts healthy on future space missions. The gravity conditions in space, known as microgravity, trigger a unique set of cellular stress responses. In the new work, researchers found that the protein modifier SUMO plays a key role in

Melbourne FL (SPX) Mar 31, 2023
Inspired by the Milankovitch cycles that play a role in Earth's climate over time, new research at Florida Tech examines how these recurring orbital movements may affect the climate of exoplanets. "Sporadic Spin-Orbit Variations in Compact Multi-planet Systems and their Influence on Exoplanet Climate," a study by Florida Tech exoplanetary scientist and astrobiologist Howard Chen and resear