Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) 

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• The Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer of the European Space Agency recently entered into a critical sequence of tests. 

• The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft in development by the European Space Agency (ESA) with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor. 

• The mission will study three of Jupiter's Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa all of which are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their surfaces, making them potentially habitable environments. 

• The spacecraft is set for launch in June 2022 and will reach Jupiter in October 2029 after five gravity assists and 88 months of travel. 

• It will reach Jupiter after five gravity assists. Gravity Assists is the use of the gravity of other planets or astronomical objects to increase the speed of a spacecraft or to alter its path. This is done to save the propellant and reduce expenses.