This probe was sent into space to discover life on the moons of Jupiter

The idea that life could have developed elsewhere in the universe fascinates millions of humans and scares many others. However, many missions have been carried out in order to solve this mystery, and this is the case of this probe launched in 2023 which aims to detect traces of life on the moons of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.

This probe is called Juice and it was designed by European scientists to detect potential traces of life and habitable worlds on Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, according to Live Science. To achieve this, it is equipped with several devices like Rime which means Radar for icy Moon Exploration. 

And needless to say that this device is quite exceptional, because it can analyze the soil structure of satellites and planets up to nine kilometers deep. In other words, it is a major asset, especially for Ganymede. It must be said that this satellite has many subglacial oceans located under thick layers of ice and for which certain signs suggest that life could develop there. 

But before analyzing these satellites, this instrument was tested on a specific area of the Moon. Indeed, it is the Anders crater, located on its hidden face, and which is one of the most well known to all thanks to the photograph showing a Earthrise taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission. 

Thus, the Rime device analyzed this lunar area for eight minutes, allowing scientists to modify the latest settings and refine the algorithm of this tool. And it now seems ready for the analysis of Jupiter’s satellites. 

But it will be necessary to be patient before knowing if Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto have environments capable of sheltering life. Indeed, the Juice probe will have to head towards Venus to use it as a propellant before heading towards Jupiter. Therefore, the insertion into the orbit of this gaseous planet is scheduled for 2031 and it will be necessary to wait until 2034 for the insertion into the orbit of Ganymede.