The Juicy Delay: Unraveling the Mystery

The European Space Agency's Juice spacecraft is taking a long time to reach Jupiter due to various factors, including the amount of fuel used, the power of the rocket, the mass of the spacecraft, and the geometry of the planets. To conserve fuel and achieve the desired trajectory, the spacecraft takes a scenic route and utilizes gravity-assist maneuvers by flying close to Earth, the Earth-moon system, and Venus. Once it arrives at Jupiter in 2031, Juice will conduct a series of flybys of Jupiter's moons, including Ganymede, making it the first spacecraft to orbit a moon other than Earth's.