The European Space Agency successfully launched the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) today atop an Ariane 5 rocket. It is the beginning of a magnificent, decade-long journey to the outer solar system.

ESA JUICE Mission Overview

JUICE is not looking for life on Jupiter itself, but rather it is targeting three of its largest moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. We know these moons harbour vast, global oceans of liquid water trapped beneath miles of thick ice. By characterising these subsurface oceans and probing their chemistry, JUICE will help us understand if these dark, hidden aquatic worlds could potentially support life.

An incredibly ambitious, wonderous, ambitious and necessary mission.