The JUICE Spacecraft System Design
In April 2023, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched its largest interplanetary space probe to date: the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE). Scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in July 2031, JUICE will conduct a four-year investigation of the planet and its Galilean moons, concluding with an orbital phase and final impact on Ganymede. This paper summarizes the mission drivers and key system and subsystems design. Instrument accommodation, verification strategy, launch and commissioning activities, and the principal performance characteristics of the spacecraft and payload are also outlined.
Authors
- M. C. E. Huber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6398-1008)
- Manfred Amann
- T. Paulsen
- Anne-Laure Bonnier
- S. Verstaen
- Xavier Moisson
- B. Massart
- Daniele Gherardi
- V. Lelievre
- Carsten Scharmberg
- P. Garé
- Patrick Rouchit
- Cristina Bramanti
- David Monteiro
- Andrea Accomazzo
- Ignacio Tanco
- Steve Redding
- Séverine Deschamps
- Robert Purvinskis
- Luc Planche
- Felice Torelli
- Daniel Escolar Blasco
- Robert Furnell
- J. Grzymisch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1139-4899)
- Thierry Bouchet
- P. Régnier
- Sven Landstroem
- N. Altobelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4244-6302)
- T. Schirmann
- Eric Ecale
- G. Sarri
- Frédéric Juillard
- Hélène Duhamel
- Johannes Gumpinger
- R. Le Letty
- Ilaria Barsanti
- Alessandro Atzei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5638-9591)
- Romain Peyrou-Lauga
- Michael Chwalla
- Mihaela Barbu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9738-6231)
- I. Torralba
- Angela Dietz
- Philippe Humbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2949-0296)
- Frédéric Faye
- A. Schnorhk
- Jörg Lange
- Markus Faust
- Federico Bertini
- Vincent Philavong
- Sébastien Laborde
- Stéphane Deyber
- Cyril Cavel
- Stephen Goodburn
- Laurent Roux
- Pauline Ravily
- Philippe Durand
- Stephane Osipenco
- Helma Glasbergen
- Manuela Baroni
- Christian Erd
- Claire Vallat
- Olivier Witasse
- Cécile Tailfer
Institutions
- Airbus (Italy) (IT)
- Airbus (France) (FR)
- European Space Operations Centre (DE)
- European Space Agency (FR)
- Steinbeis Foundation (DE)
- European Space Astronomy Centre (ES)
- European Space Research and Technology Centre (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Space Science Reviews
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-026-01289-4
- Primary Topic
- Spacecraft Design and Technology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- European Space Agency
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency