ESA’s Juice Just Skimmed Earth’s Atmosphere on Its Way to Jupiter

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) made a close pass by Earth on September 28, skimming the outermost reaches of the atmosphere and using the planet’s gravity to reshape its journey toward Jupiter while conserving fuel. The maneuver changed Juice’s direction by 20° compared with its earlier trajectory and boosted its speed [...]