– The JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission is proceeding ahead of its planned arrival at Jupiter in 2031.
– In 2027, JUICE will perform a flyby of Jupiter’s moon Callisto. This will be the first of 35 flybys of Jupiter’s moons planned for the mission.
– Engineers at the European Space Operations Centre conducted a simulation of the Callisto flyby using an engineering model of the JUICE spacecraft.
– The simulation tested JUICE’s ability to autonomously identify and track features on Callisto’s surface during the fast flyby, without needing commands from Earth due to communication delays.
– On the first attempt, the simulation was successful, with the engineering model locking onto and tracking Callisto surface targets as it flew by, adjusting its position autonomously.
– This was an important test of JUICE’s autonomous navigation capabilities ahead of the real flyby in 2027. The mission is proceeding as planned towards its arrival at Jupiter in 2031 to study the planet’s moons.
Source: Space
