FlybySeptember 21, 2026

Juice spacecraft returns to Earth for third gravity assist

Flight controllers will guide ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer close to Earth on September 28 to adjust its trajectory toward Jupiter.

RIME Instrument en Route to JUICE
RIME Instrument en Route to JUICE · NASA/JPL-Caltech, Public domain (NASA)

The European Space Agency's Juice spacecraft is returning to Earth on September 28 for its third gravity assist maneuver. The planned flyby will adjust the spacecraft's speed and direction to guide it on its long journey toward the Jupiter system.

See Jupiter in the map