The European Space Agency’s Juice mission is set to achieve two historic firsts as it embarks on its journey to study Jupiter’s icy moons.

Launched in April 2023, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will perform the first-ever consecutive flybys of the moon and Earth, along with the first double gravity assist maneuver on August 19-20.

These maneuvers will use Earth’s gravity to adjust Juice’s trajectory, setting it on course for a Venus flyby in August 2025 and ultimately reaching Jupiter in July 2031.

The mission is highly complex, and even a small error could jeopardize its success, CNN has reported.

Juice will capture images during the flybys, and some observers in Southeast Asia may be able to spot the spacecraft.

Written by B.C. Begley