New mission targets Jupiter's icy moons in search for life

ESA's JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) spacecraft has successfully entered Jupiter's orbit after a four-year journey, beginning a mission that scientists hope will answer one of humanity's most profound questions: does life exist elsewhere in our solar system?

The spacecraft will spend three years studying Jupiter's three largest icy moons - Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - all of which are believed to harbour vast liquid oceans beneath their frozen surfaces. These subsurface oceans, kept warm by tidal heating from Jupiter's massive gravitational field, represent some of the most promising environments for extraterrestrial life.

What Scientists Hope to Find

JUICE carries nine scientific instruments designed to characterise the moons' surfaces, subsurface oceans, and magnetic environments. While the spacecraft cannot directly detect life, it can identify the chemical and physical conditions necessary for life to emerge.