--- title: "Spacecraft to Scream Past Earth in a “Double World First” Slingshot Flyby" description: "ESA's JUICE probe is about to slingshot past Earth and the Moon on its way to Jupiter in what the agency is calling a \"double world first.\"" date: "2024-08-19" modified: "2024-08-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/esa-juice-double-world-first-flyby" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "ESA" - "gravity assist" - "juice" - "the digest" --- # Spacecraft to Scream Past Earth in a “Double World First” Slingshot Flyby ![ESA's JUICE probe is about to slingshot past Earth and the Moon on its way to Jupiter in what the agency is calling a "double world first."]() *\Image: ESA\* ## Double Trouble The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) is about to slingshot past Earth and our Moon on its way to the outer solar system in what the agency is calling a "[double world first]()." As [*Euronews* reports,]() the ESA announced that its spacecraft, which was launched last year and is slated to [reach the gas giant in 2031](), will become the first to attempt a double gravitational assist maneuver and a lunar-Earth flyby. After its [April 2023 launch](), JUICE has circled back around towards Earth and our Moon on its way to Venus as it charts a circuitous pattern around the [inner Solar System]() to [build up the momentum to reach Jupiter](). As it passes by its home planet for the first of three flybys, JUICE will get an important gravity boost. "You need a gravitational assist — or pull — from the planets to help you get enough energy and be able to fly up to Jupiter," Nicolas Altobelli, ESA's JUICE mission manager, told *Euronews*. While these sorts of "assists" have been a hallmark of space travel [since the 1970s](), the first of JUICE's attempts is historic because it will use the combined gravity of the Earth and the Moon to figuratively get the ball rolling. The slingshot aspect of JUICE's journey is already incredible — but the lunar-Earth flyby is, perhaps, even more daring. ## Close Encounters As the [agency notes](), this "daring" feat will bring JUICE a mere 466 miles from the surface of the Moon and 4,250 miles from Earth. There's a lot that could go wrong during this audacious flyby, so ESA will be watching the probe's trajectory closely using its [onboard scientific instruments](). ESA predicts that JUICE will begin its closest proximity to the Earth and Moon on August 19. The agency has even [scheduled a livestream for the occasion](), which begins around 5:30 pm EDT — and we'll be closely following along. **More on Jupiter:** *[James Webb Observes Mysterious Structures Above Jupiter's Great Red Spot]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()