ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, completed an Earth gravity assist on 28 September 2026. ESA reported that the encounter deflected the spacecraft’s direction by 20 degrees and increased its speed by 3.5 km/s. The maneuver was part of Juice’s planned route to Jupiter, not a NASA-led mission event: ESA leads Juice, with contributions from NASA, JAXA and the Israel Space Agency.
What happened during Juice’s Earth flyby?
Juice passed closest to Earth at 13:45 CEST (11:45 UTC) over the Indian Ocean, at an altitude of 8,640 km, according to an ESA-credited post-flyby report republished by ScienceDaily. ESA reported that Earth’s gravity changed the spacecraft’s direction by 20 degrees and increased its speed by 3.5 km/s.
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Those are the reported results of this particular encounter, not a general measure of how much every gravity assist changes a spacecraft’s speed or course. Before the flyby, ESA had described the same figures as expected effects; its later report described the completed encounter.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →How does a gravity assist change a spacecraft’s speed?
A gravity assist uses a planet’s gravity to bend a spacecraft’s path. As Juice approached and then moved away from Earth, the encounter altered its trajectory relative to the Sun, changing both its direction and its speed along its route. The maneuver was carefully planned and navigated; “using gravity” does not mean the spacecraft’s course changed without mission planning or cost.
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For Juice, the purpose was to shape its route toward Jupiter while conserving propellant needed for arrival and later operations. ESA describes the mission’s route as a sequence of flybys involving Earth, the Moon and Venus. The effect of each encounter depends on the spacecraft’s planned trajectory, so this mission’s figures should not be treated as a universal gravity-assist recipe.
How does the Earth flyby fit into Juice’s route to Jupiter?
The September 2026 encounter was one step in a multi-year trajectory. ESA’s mission account describes the earlier 2024 lunar-Earth flyby as a braking maneuver that redirected Juice toward Venus; the 2025 Venus flyby added speed and bent the spacecraft’s orbit. The September 2026 Earth flyby accelerated and redirected it, and a further Earth encounter is planned for January 2029.
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ESA says the January 2029 flyby is intended to put Juice on its final trajectory to reach Jupiter in 2031. These encounters are mission-specific course adjustments, not optional detours from a direct route.
What else did Juice do during the encounter?
The flyby also gave the mission a chance to observe Earth and the Moon and prepare its instruments for work at Jupiter. ESA said Juice’s 10 science instruments were scheduled to collect Earth and Moon data from 23 September through 3 October 2026. After the encounter, the ESA-credited report described measurements of magnetic fields and charged particles as Juice travelled through Earth’s magnetotail, as well as calibration and validation work for future observations.
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Navigation was another part of the operation. ESA reported that six trajectory-correction opportunities had been reserved and that the team used one small correction after the flyby. Juice Spacecraft Operations Manager Angela Dietz said in the ESA-credited report: “The flyby required ultra-precise navigation in real time. Thanks to our very careful planning, we used only a small amount of the propellant reserved for this flyby.” She added that this left more propellant available for observations of Jupiter’s icy moons.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What will Juice study at Jupiter?
Juice is headed to the Jupiter system to study the planet and its icy moons. ESA’s mission plan includes 35 flybys of Ganymede, Callisto and Europa while the spacecraft is operating in the Jupiter system. The Earth encounter therefore served both as a trajectory adjustment and as preparation for the mission’s later science operations.
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Sources
- ESA mission overview for mission leadership, route and science plan.
- ScienceDaily’s report credited to ESA for the completed flyby results, navigation details and Angela Dietz quotation.
- ESA’s pre-flyby account for the planned encounter context.
- ESA’s flyby animation illustrating the planned trajectory.
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