ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is ready for fuelling. This image shows the spacecraft leaving the Payload Preparation Facility and being transferred to the Hazardous Processing Facility, where the fuelling operations will take place. This marks a major milestone in the launch campaign. Launch is planned for mid-April.

Next Juice will be ready for fuelling. Usually spacecraft are first fuelled and then connected to the payload adapter, but for technical reasons the order has been swapped for Juice. After fuelling, Juice will be positioned on top of the Ariane 5, ready for launch on 13 April.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG – P. Baudon

ESA’s latest interplanetary mission, Juice, lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French 09:14 local time/14:14CEST on 14 April 2023 to begin its eight-year journey to Jupiter, where it will study in detail the gas giant planet’s three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Juice – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 is the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: SpaceX

ESA’s latest interplanetary mission, Juice, lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French 09:14 local time/14:14CEST on 14 April 2023 to begin its eight-year journey to Jupiter, where it will study in detail the gas giant planet’s three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Juice – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 is the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: SpaceX

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: SpaceX

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) being fuelled inside the payload preparation facility at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its launch on an Ariane 5 on 13 April.

Juice will use this propellant to make critical course manoeuvres on its journey to and around the Jupiter system, and to go into orbit around Jupiter then its largest moon, Ganymede. Juice has a bi-propellant chemical propulsion system, using mono-methyl hydrazine (MMH) fuel and mixed oxides of nitrogen (MON) oxidiser. This results in a propellant that spontaneously ignites when the two come into contact with each other.

Fuelling any satellite is a particularly delicate operation requiring setup of the equipment and connections, fuelling, and then pressurisation. The propellants are extremely toxic so only a few specialists wearing protective Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble, or ‘scape’ suits, remained in the dedicated hall for fuelling.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: 2023 ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE / Optique vidéo du CSG - JM GUILLON

ESA’s latest interplanetary mission, Juice, lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French 09:14 local time/14:14CEST on 14 April 2023 to begin its eight-year journey to Jupiter, where it will study in detail the gas giant planet’s three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Juice – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 is the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

ESA’s latest interplanetary mission, Juice, lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French 09:14 local time/14:14CEST on 14 April 2023 to begin its eight-year journey to Jupiter, where it will study in detail the gas giant planet’s three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Juice – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 is the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 rocket for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) launch being transferred to the final assembly building at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana for payload integration and last preparation for flight VA260.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG/P Baudon

Ariane 5 rocket for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission (Juice) launch being transferred to the final assembly building at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana for payload integration and last preparation for flight VA260.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG/P Baudon

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice, start of rollout on Tuesday 11 April.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice, start of rollout on Tuesday 11 April.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 rocket for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) launch being transferred to the final assembly building at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana for payload integration and last preparation for flight VA260.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG/P Baudon

On 4 April, Juice was encapsulated inside the Ariane 5’s fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft. Here we see the two engineers working where the fairing meets the lower part of the rocket. This operation followed the placement of Juice atop the Ariane 5 on 1 April. Juice will remain inside the fairing during launch. Shortly after launch, the fairing will open up and Juice will separate from the rocket.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023. After an eight-year journey to Jupiter, the mission will make detailed observations of the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of instruments. The mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

ESA’s latest interplanetary mission, Juice, lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French 09:14 local time/14:14CEST on 14 April 2023 to begin its eight-year journey to Jupiter, where it will study in detail the gas giant planet’s three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Juice – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 is the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

On 4 April, Juice was encapsulated inside the Ariane 5’s fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft. Here we see the fairing (top) coming down over the Juice spacecraft (bottom). This followed the placement of Juice atop the Ariane 5 on 1 April. Juice will remain inside the fairing during launch. Shortly after launch, the fairing will open up and Juice will separate from the rocket.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023. After an eight-year journey to Jupiter, the mission will make detailed observations of the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of instruments. The mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

ESA’s latest interplanetary mission, Juice, lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French 09:14 local time/14:14CEST on 14 April 2023 to begin its eight-year journey to Jupiter, where it will study in detail the gas giant planet’s three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.

Juice – Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 is the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

On 4 April, Juice was encapsulated inside the Ariane 5’s fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft. Here we see the fairing (top) coming down over the Juice spacecraft (bottom). This followed the placement of Juice atop the Ariane 5 on 1 April. Juice will remain inside the fairing during launch. Shortly after launch, the fairing will open up and Juice will separate from the rocket.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023. After an eight-year journey to Jupiter, the mission will make detailed observations of the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of instruments. The mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is ready for fuelling. This image shows the spacecraft leaving the Payload Preparation Facility and being transferred to the Hazardous Processing Facility, where the fuelling operations will take place. This marks a major milestone in the launch campaign. Launch is planned for mid-April.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.  

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG – P. Baudon

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is ready for fuelling. This image shows the spacecraft leaving the Payload Preparation Facility and being transferred to the Hazardous Processing Facility, where the fuelling operations will take place. This marks a major milestone in the launch campaign. Launch is planned for mid-April.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.  

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG – P. Baudon

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: SpaceX

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice, start of rollout on Tuesday 11 April.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is being prepared for launch in the latest photos from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Here, engineers are attaching the spacecraft to the golden cylinder that we see directly underneath; this ‘payload adapter’ will connect Juice to the Ariane 5 launcher that will carry it into space. The process involved tightening the clamp band and connecting cables. This activity marks the start of the so-called 'combined operations' that ESA runs together with Arianespace in the run up to launch.

Next Juice will be ready for fuelling. Usually spacecraft are first fuelled and then connected to the payload adapter, but for technical reasons the order has been swapped for Juice. After fuelling, Juice will be positioned on top of the Ariane 5, ready for launch on 13 April.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG – P. Baudon

Please have your boarding pass ready. Destination: the International Space Station.

ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski received a symbolic boarding pass to orbit during a rehearsal ahead of liftoff at the historic Pad 39A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.

On launch day, he and the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew will ride the lift that will take them to the boarding bridge leading to a brand-new Dragon spacecraft atop the Falcon 9 rocket. The latest in SpaceX’s fleet of crewed vehicles has improved storage and propulsion systems.

Suited up for the occasion, Sławosz will board the Dragon about an hour before launch. This time allows for final checks, communication tests and seat adjustments.

Flying as mission specialist for Ax-4, the Polish astronaut will have a window seat next to US commander Peggy Whitson. They will share the ride with pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India and fellow mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

Slawosz is the second ESA crew member on a commercial spaceflight with Axiom Space, after Marcus Wandt’s Muninn mission in 2024. The journey to the International Space Station will take around 30 hours. The European mission, called Ignis, will officially begin as soon as Sławosz passes through the hatch and enters the International Space Station.

The ESA astronaut is ready to board. Stay tuned with the latest updates on our X and BlueSky accounts. Watch Sławosz begin his first space travel live on ESA YouTube.

Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission features an ambitious programme of technological and scientific research.

Check the Ignis launch kit to learn more about Sławosz and the 13 experiments proposed by Polish companies and institutions that he will carry out in space.

Credits: SpaceX

This image shows ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) being attached to a temporary stand for fuelling. The black, conical stand allows the fuelling inlet and outlet to be at a more convenient height for fuelling operators who wear big Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble, or ‘scape’ suits that limit their freedom of movement and field of view.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: 2023 ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE / Optique vidéo du CSG - P BAUDON

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice ready for launch on the ELA-3 launch pad at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on 12 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA 260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice, start of rollout on Tuesday 11 April.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

This image shows ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) being attached to a temporary stand for fuelling. The black, conical stand allows the fuelling inlet and outlet to be at a more convenient height for fuelling operators who wear big Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble, or ‘scape’ suits that limit their freedom of movement and field of view.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: 2023 ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE / Optique vidéo du CSG - P BAUDON

On 4 April, Juice was encapsulated inside the Ariane 5’s fairing, meaning that the nose of the rocket was installed over the spacecraft. Here we see the two engineers working where the fairing meets the lower part of the rocket. This operation followed the placement of Juice atop the Ariane 5 on 1 April. Juice will remain inside the fairing during launch. Shortly after launch, the fairing will open up and Juice will separate from the rocket.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023. After an eight-year journey to Jupiter, the mission will make detailed observations of the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of instruments. The mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) being fuelled inside the payload preparation facility at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana ahead of its launch on an Ariane 5 on 13 April.

Juice will use this propellant to make critical course manoeuvres on its journey to and around the Jupiter system, and to go into orbit around Jupiter then its largest moon, Ganymede. Juice has a bi-propellant chemical propulsion system, using mono-methyl hydrazine (MMH) fuel and mixed oxides of nitrogen (MON) oxidiser. This results in a propellant that spontaneously ignites when the two come into contact with each other.

Fuelling any satellite is a particularly delicate operation requiring setup of the equipment and connections, fuelling, and then pressurisation. The propellants are extremely toxic so only a few specialists wearing protective Self-Contained Atmospheric Protective Ensemble, or ‘scape’ suits, remained in the dedicated hall for fuelling.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: 2023 ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE / Optique vidéo du CSG - JM GUILLON

The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).

ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.

The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.

Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja

Axiom Mission 4 Walkout and departure to launch pad 39A with ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski on 25 June 2025 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski launches to the International Space Station on his first spaceflight as part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The mission lifts off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at 02:31 EDT (07:31 BST / 08:31 CEST).

The Ax-4 crew includes Peggy Whitson (USA, commander), Shubhanshu Shukla (India, pilot), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary, mission specialist), alongside Sławosz, who also serves as a mission specialist. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission—dubbed Ignis—features a robust programme of science and technology experiments developed by ESA and the Polish space sector.

Sławosz, selected as a reserve ESA astronaut in 2022 and appointed as a project astronaut in September 2023, has trained at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, in preparation for this commercial spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space.

Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).

ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.

The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.

Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja

Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice, start of rollout on Tuesday 11 April.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023.

Juice – JUpiter ICy moons Explorer – is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. This ambitious mission will characterise Ganymede, Callisto and Europa with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Following launch, Juice will embark on an eight-year journey to Jupiter, arriving in July 2031 with the aid of momentum and direction gained from four gravity-assist fly-bys of the Earth-Moon system, Venus and, twice, Earth.

Flight VA260 will be the final Ariane 5 flight to carry an ESA mission to space.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA - S. Corvaja

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja

The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew lifts off to the International Space Station atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, on 25 June at 02:31 EDT, local time (07:31 BST/08:31 CEST).

ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski travels to his new home in space in the Dragon spacecraft. Sławosz is part of Axiom Mission 4 alongside Peggy Whitson (USA), Shubhanshu Shukla (India) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

During their journey on the Dragon spacecraft to the orbital outpost Sławosz and Tibor will serve as mission specialists, Shubhanshu will be the crew’s pilot and Peggy will be commander.

The Polish project astronaut is the second of a new generation of European astronauts to fly on a commercial human spaceflight opportunity with Axiom Space. Sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT), and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the mission will include an ambitious technological and scientific programme with several experiments led by ESA and proposed by the Polish space industry. The mission, known as Ignis will officially begin once Sławosz enters the Station.

Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski was selected in November 2022 as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve and joined ESA as a project astronaut on 1 September 2023 for training familiarisation at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

Follow Sławosz’s journey on the Ignis website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.

Credits: ESA - S.Corvaja

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is being prepared for launch in the latest photos from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Here, engineers are attaching the spacecraft to the golden cylinder that we see directly underneath; this ‘payload adapter’ will connect Juice to the Ariane 5 launcher that will carry it into space. The process involved tightening the clamp band and connecting cables. This activity marks the start of the so-called 'combined operations' that ESA runs together with Arianespace in the run up to launch.

Next Juice will be ready for fuelling. Usually spacecraft are first fuelled and then connected to the payload adapter, but for technical reasons the order has been swapped for Juice. After fuelling, Juice will be positioned on top of the Ariane 5, ready for launch on 13 April.

Juice is humankind’s next bold mission to the outer Solar System. It will make detailed observations of gas giant Jupiter and its three large ocean-bearing moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. This ambitious mission will characterise these moons with a powerful suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments to discover more about these compelling destinations as potential habitats for past or present life. Juice will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons, studying the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giant systems across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

Credits: ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique video du CSG – P. Baudon

Holding on to each other to keep from floating away, the newcomers from the Axiom 3 mission (Ax-3) pose up front for a crowded crew picture on the International Space Station. There are 11 people and eight nationalities currently onboard the orbital complex.

ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt, on the left and with a Swedish flag on his flight suit, became the 677th person to go to space on 20 January when the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft seamlessly docked with the Space Station.

The Expedition 70 crew members were waiting for him and his Axiom 3 colleagues Walter Villadei from Italy, Alper Gezeravcı from Türkiye and Michael López-Alegría, a dual US-Spanish citizen.

“It was very strange to have someone knock on the hatch after 36 hours travelling in the capsule,” said Marcus during the welcome ceremony. It was 12:16 GMT (13:16 CET) when a ’weightless’ Marcus went through the hatch of the Harmony module, marking the start of his Muninn mission.

Right behind him in this space family picture is his friend, colleague and Station’s commander Andreas Mogensen from Denmark. This is the first time two Scandinavians are together in space.

A happy Marcus spent his first day in space settling in for his two-week stay. He set up his belongings in Europe’s CASA sleeping crew quarters in the Columbus laboratory, began unloading the cargo from the Dragon capsule and synced up with the Expedition 70 crew members to live and work together in their new space home.

After his first night’s sleep on the Space Station, the Ax-3 crew finished unpacking the Dragon cargo to begin a full slate of microgravity research, technology demonstrations and outreach activities.

In total, Marcus will run around 20 experiments, ranging from studies into how the design of space habitats affects an astronaut’s stress levels to unravelling the changes in cellular structures and gene expression in microgravity. He will also take part in educational programmes.

The mission is scheduled to conclude on 3 February with undocking, culminating in a splashdown off the coast of Florida aboard the Dragon spacecraft.

Follow Marcus’s journey on the Muninn website, check our launch kit and connect with him on his Instagram and X accounts.

Credits: NASA/J. Moghbeli

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying ESA’s Euclid mission has arrived at its launch pad and is getting ready for its journey to space. Planned lift-off at 16:12 BST/17:12 CEST today.

ESA's Euclid mission is designed to explore the composition and evolution of the dark Universe. Euclid will chart how the Universe has expanded and how large-scale structure is distributed across space and time, revealing more about the role of gravity and the nature of dark energy and dark matter.  

Four weeks after launch, Euclid will enter in orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2. Once in orbit, mission controllers will start the activities to verify all functions of the spacecraft, check out the telescope and finally turn the instruments on.  

Find out more about Euclid in the launchkit

Credit: ESA - S. Corvaja