Exploration of Jupiter’s Galilean satellites and their complex interactions with the Jovian magnetosphere: Hungary’s participation in ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission

Abstract Jupiter's magnetosphere is one of the largest natural particle accelerators in our Solar System. Its dynamic processes are governed by the fast rotation of the planet, creating complex current systems and particle transport mechanisms. The Galilean satellites play important roles as plasma sources, influencing the dynamics and distribution of charged particles in the Jovian magnetosphere. Building on the knowledge gained from previous flybys and the Galileo orbiter, the recently launched Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft will study the interaction between the Galilean satellites and the rapidly rotating inner magnetospheric plasma environment of Jupiter. The mission will conduct several close flybys with Europa and Callisto to further investigate the possibility of the existence of their subsurface oceanic layers. Additionally, JUICE aims to study in unprecedented detail the unique interaction between Ganymede (the only satellite in our Solar System with an intrinsic magnetic field of its own) and the Jovian magnetosphere. Researchers and engineers from the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics, the HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, and SGF Ltd. have participated in the development of the Particle Environment Package (PEP) instrument onboard JUICE.