Over the past few days, Juice has been transferred to the final assembly building and mounted onto the Ariane 5 rocket that will carry it into space. These photos capture the key milestones in this process.

Juice placed on an air cushion platform Juice enters ‘clean room on wheels’ Juice exits ‘clean room on wheels’ Juice lifted ready to meet Ariane 5 Juice lowered onto Ariane 5

Following these steps Juice was encapsulated inside Ariane 5’s fairing, where it will remain during the launch. This took place on 4 April. Shortly after launch, the fairing will open up and Juice will separate from the rocket.

Juice is being prepared to launch from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 13 April 2023. After an eight-year journey to Jupiter, the mission will make detailed observations of the gas giant and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of instruments.

The mission will characterise these moons as both planetary objects and possible habitats, explore Jupiter’s complex environment in depth, and study the wider Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants across the Universe.

Find out more about Juice in ESA’s launch kit

ESA also photo