The European Space Agency's Juice spacecraft flew past Earth, using the planet's gravity to reshape its path toward Jupiter, ScienceDaily reports. The maneuver, described as a gravity assist, marks the third time the mission has relied on a planetary flyby to adjust its trajectory.
According to ScienceDaily, the spacecraft treated Earth as a slingshot, borrowing the planet's gravitational pull to change its speed and direction without burning large amounts of fuel. Scientific American reports that the Jupiter-bound probe also captured photographs during the close approach, while BBC Sky at Night Magazine describes the images as a striking view of Earth. Silicon Republic reports that the flyby completes the mission's third gravity assist.
Gravity assists are a standard technique for long-distance space missions. By passing near a planet, a spacecraft can gain or lose momentum and alter its course, allowing it to reach distant targets that would otherwise demand far more propellant. The Planetary Society covered the event under the heading "Flying by and diving deep," suggesting the encounter involved both a close pass and deeper operations, though further specifics were not detailed in the available reporting.
Juice is on a years-long journey to study Jupiter and its icy moons. The mission's repeated use of planetary flybys reflects the complex route planning required to reach the outer solar system.
What to watch next: whether ESA releases additional images or data from the Earth encounter, and how the flyby shapes the spacecraft's remaining path to Jupiter.
