ESA postpones launch of Jupiter-bound JUICE mission due to unfavourable weather

The European Space Agency (ESA) has decided to stand down from launching its JUICE mission on April 13 due to unfavourable weather conditions. The launch was scheduled at 5:45 pm IST from the French Guiana but dark clouds hovering over the launch pad at French Guiana and risk of lightning strikes made the team postpone the mission. The next launch attempt is on April 14 around the same time (5:44 pm IST).

"Today’s Flight #VA260 has been delayed due to weather condition (risk of lightning) at the scheduled liftoff time from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and its passenger JUICE are in stable and safe condition," Arianespace, the launch-providing company tweeted. 

The new targeted launch date is April 14, 2023, at:

· 08:14 a.m. Washington, D.C. time,
· 09:14 a.m. Kourou time,
· 12:14 p.m. Universal time (UTC),
· 02:14 p.m. Paris time,
· 12:14 a.m., April 15, Tokyo time.

— Arianespace (@Arianespace)

Short for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), the mission will see ESA launch a probe on the Ariane 5 rocket to Jupiter to examine the gas giant and its Moons-- Europa, Callisto and Ganymede. According to the agency, the spacecraft will enter the Jupiter system in July 2031 and begin its three-year-long mission. 

The mission's goal is to gather information about its Jupiter, its origin and its effects on its Moon and vice versa. The probe will also peer through the thick icy crust of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto as they are believed to harbour vast oceans inside them. The probe will also help scientists verify if conditions on these Moons are suitable for (microbial) life and if there were any in the past. 

The major goal, however, is to finally enter the orbit of Ganymede, which is bigger than Mercury and Pluto and has its own magnetic field. JUICE will explore what makes this Moon so unique and will become the first spacecraft to orbit a Moon other than Earth's.