How to see a spacecraft orbiting Earth Monday night

European Space Agency He says She is closely monitoring and adjusting the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) as it attempts to steer the spacecraft around the Moon and Earth as part of a multi-part journey toward the largest planet in our solar system.

JUICE will perform the dangerous maneuver between August 19 and 20; the spacecraft will be closest to Earth at approximately 12:00 a.m. ET (UTC +02:00) on August 20.

The spacecraft’s intended acrobatics – a flyby of the Moon and Earth and a double flyby – were sufficient, the European Space Agency said in a statement. Gravity Assist Maneuver – It would amount to a “world’s first dual-mode.” The gravity assist would change the speed and direction of the research vehicle, but getting it right would be difficult, according to the agency. It has been explained.“The smallest error could throw JUICE off course and mean the end of the mission,” ESA wrote.

JUICE started its journey with Launching in April 2023 And adjust the course after seven months. While the probe passes over the Earth and conducts tests on On-board toolsThe spacecraft will use the planet’s gravity to slow down and “lean” toward Venus, then orbit the planet in August 2025 before returning to Earth. (The deceleration is necessary to reduce the amount of fuel needed to facilitate the spacecraft’s entry into orbit around other planets.)

The spacecraft will then make two more orbits around Earth (one in September 2026 and another in January 2029) in order to reach the right path and speed to enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2031. From there, JUICE will observe the fifth planet from the Sun and its icy moons.

Flying by the moon would be like “going through a very narrow corridor, very fast: pushing the throttle to the limit when the margin on the side of the road is just millimeters,” said Ignacio Tanco, director of spacecraft operations at JUICE.

The European Space Agency said the luckiest JUICE participants will be able to spot the spacecraft using a high-powered telescope or binoculars when it flies “directly over Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.” The agency shared data on the spacecraft’s trajectory. hereHowever, the easiest way to follow up is to monitor European Space Agency Blog or X (formerly Twitter account), which is where the agency plans to publish photos taken by JUICE. Two surveillance cameras While flying Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Venus and Jupiter aren’t the only planets being monitored by ESA’s spacecraft. The agency’s Mars Express Orbiter recently sent back stunning images of the “serpent scar” on the Red Planet’s surface. As for its American counterpart, NASA is looking to the private sector to send its derelict spacecraft to the moon. NASA has also sought help from private space companies as part of its plans to destroy the million-pound International Space Station when it retires in late 2030.