The probe will launch atop a trusty rocket
An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket has been entrusted with launching the $1.6 billion probe. Blastoff is set for 8:15 a.m. ET on April 13 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The mission, known as VA260, will be Arianespace’s 30th scientific mission and the 116th launch of Ariane 5 overall, according to the company. JUICE will be Europe’s first mission to the Jovian system. Once freed from the rocket’s payload fairing and Earth’s gravitational field, the 6-metric-ton JUICE will race away at speeds reaching 1.6 miles per second (2.5 kilometers per second).
