The ESAs Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission Juice successfully launched today from Europes spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The launch was supposed to take place yesterday but waspostponeddue to poor weather conditions.
Today, the stars aligned and Juice was successfully blasted into orbit at approximately 14:19 CEST.
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In the two weeks after launch, the satellite will deploy all of its antennas and instrument booms.
This will be followed by a three-month long period where all of the spacecrafts scientific instruments will be commissioned.
It will take even longer for its first fly-by, which is only set for August 2024.
The satellite will take advantage of the Earth-Moon gravitational field to sling itself on course for Jupiter.
Juice is set to arrive at Jupiter in July 2031.
In December 2023, the spacecraft will change orbits moving from Jupiter to Ganymede.
By doing so, Juice will become the first satellite ever to orbit around a moon other than Earths.
But it wont be alone out there.
NASA is also launching a Jupiter-bound spacecraft, theEuropa clipper, in 2024, that will orbit Europa.
The hope is that this will allow for the creation of computer-generated, three dimensional images of its interior.
Juice mission controllers plan to dispose of the spacecraft by crashing it onto the surface of Ganymede.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
