Ariane flight VA260
RocketAriane 5 ECA+
Launch14 April 2023, 12:14 UTC
OperatorArianespace
PadGuiana Space Centre, ELA-3
PayloadJuice
OutcomeSuccess
Serial5120
SuccessionAriane launches
PreviousVA259
NextVA261

Ariane flight VA260 was an Ariane 5 rocket flight that launched the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) into space on 14 April 2023. It was 2023's first Ariane flight, and the 116th and penultimate Ariane 5 mission.[1][2]

Launch configuration

Rocket

Main article: Ariane 5

Ariane 5 is a heavy lift two-stage rocket with two solid fuel boosters. It was used in its ECA+ variant, which offers the highest payload mass capacity. The total launch mass of the vehicle is 770,000 kg (1,700,000 lb).

Payload

Main article: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

The only payload on the flight was the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, an orbiter going to planet Jupiter built by Airbus Defence and Space for ESA.[3][4][5] Juice is the first European mission to Jupiter.[6]

Launch

Launch preparation began after the arrival of Juice in Kourou, French Guiana. After fuelling and other works, the Juice spacecraft was Integrated with Ariane 5.[7] After completing all preparations, the rocket was rolled out to the launch pad a day before launch.[8][9][10] The rocket was launched from the ELA-3 launch pad of the Guiana Space Centre on 14 April 2023 at 12:14 UTC.[11][12][13] Juice was injected into an Interplanetary trajectory that took it to multiple flybys until reaching its destination planet Jupiter.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ariane Flight VA260". Newsroom Arianespace. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  2. ^ "Juice". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  3. ^ "NASA Astrobiology". astrobiology.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  4. ^ "JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer)". www.eoportal.org. Archived 9 October 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  5. ^ "JUICE: Exploring Jupiter's Moons". Space. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  6. ^ Clark, Stephen (2023-04-13). "Live coverage: Ariane 5 rocket launches Europe's first mission to Jupiter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  7. ^ "Juice meets Ariane 5". www.esa.int. 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  8. ^ "Ariane 5 flight VA260, Juice: fully integrated and ready for rollout". www.esa.int. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  9. ^ "Ariane 5 VA 260 with Juice - Rollout". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  10. ^ Foust, Jeff (2023-04-12). "Ariane 5 ready to launch ESA’s JUICE mission to Jupiter". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  11. ^ "ESA's Juice lifts off on quest to discover secrets of Jupiter's icy moons". ESA. 14 April 2023. Archived 14 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  12. ^ https://spacenews.com/tag/ariane-5-flight-va260/
  13. ^ Clark, Stephen (2023-04-14). "Europe launches spacecraft on eight-year journey to explore Jupiter's moons". Spaceflight Now. Archived 2023-04-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  14. ^ "Juice on final stretch for launch to Jupiter". www.esa.int. 2023-02-10. Retrieved 2025-11-07.