European Space Agency (ESA) and Arianespace teams have conducted the launch of the historic Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission to the three largest icy moons of Jupiter — Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. The launch, dubbed Flight VA260, is the first of two Ariane 5 missions of 2023 and the penultimate flight of the Ariane 5 rocket, lofting JUICE on a trajectory that will result in a summer 2031 arrival and orbit insertion at the Jovian system.
JUICE lifted off at 12:14 UTC (9:14 AM local) on Friday, April 14, during an instantaneous launch window from pad ELA-3 at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana. The 116th Ariane 5 mission flew a trajectory due east out over the Atlantic Ocean, inclined just shy of three degrees to the Equator.