Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer’s first taste of science from space

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, Juice, has recorded magnetic area information as its 10.6 m-long magnetometer increase deployed.

Juice launched on 14 April, with deployments and activation of its antennas, booms, sensors and devices ongoing over the subsequent months in a devoted check-out interval often called the commissioning phase.

The Juice magnetometer increase (J-MAG) was deployed on 21 April, when Juice was about 1.7 million km from Earth.

Information collected by J-MAG captured the second of deployment itself.

The plot reveals the magnitude of the magnetic area from two sensors, as indicated by the purple and turquoise strains, earlier than (flat line) and throughout the deployment (curving strains). The 2 sensors are mounted on the outer section of the increase and separated by about 3 m. The labels OBS and IBS point out the information from the outboard (OBS) and inboard sensors (IBS), respectively. OBS is mounted near the top of the ten.6 m increase.

The left aspect of the plot reveals the sphere hint earlier than the increase deployment. The sensors are up in opposition to the aspect of the spacecraft and OBS is situated shut to 2 spacecraft thrusters, that are fairly magnetic, explaining the distinction within the two area magnitudes.

The plot strains change because the increase deployment happens, beginning simply after 14:29:38 UT and taking roughly two seconds.

Thereafter, the 2 area magnitudes are at an identical degree, trending in direction of zero and secure, indicating that the increase has deployed the total 10.6 m and each sensors are measuring the ambient solar wind area.

The plot has been put collectively utilizing very preliminary calibrations. Detailed instrument commissioning will begin subsequent week, together with operation in its extra delicate ranges. It can additionally see the primary switch-on of the third J-MAG sensor that may measure the magnetic area magnitude.

As soon as within the Jupiter system in 2031, J-MAG will assist characterize the planet’s magnetic area and its interplay with that of big moon Ganymede, and can research the subsurface oceans of the icy moons. J-MAG is one in every of ten devices that may study Jupiter and its largest ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Europa and Callisto.

With the important deployment of the solar arrays and the medium acquire antenna following launch, the subsequent three months will concentrate on deploying and trying out the devices.