The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that the space probe ‘Juice’ achieved a world first by passing near the moon and then the Earth, in a step aimed at facilitating its journey to the planet Jupiter, after 8 years of traveling in a winding path.

The maneuver saw the probe ‘Juice’ approach the moon on Aug. 19 at 21:00 GMT, before flying over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean the following day just before 22:00, at an altitude of less than 7,000 kilometers.

The spacecraft accelerated slightly as it passed near the Moon, before slowing down more sharply near Earth, and especially changing direction towards Venus, which it will reach in 2025.

The probe will then return to Earth for two flybys in 2026 and 2029, before finally reaching Jupiter in July 2031.

It is worth noting that the space probe Juice was launched into space last April via the Ariane 5 rocket towards Jupiter, about 800 million kilometers from Earth.

Source: Qatar News Agency