This probe won't need more power than a coffee maker to operate in space

On April 13, 2023, the European Space Agency will for the first time launch a probe to Jupiter. In particular, it will be equipped with huge solar panels that will provide the energy necessary for its onboard systems operation, even when far from the Sun.

Conditions permitting, the Juice (JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer) probe is scheduled to be launched aboard Ariane V from the Kourou base in French Guiana on Thursday, April 13.

Its mission will be to reach Jupiter and fly over and observe three of its natural satellites: Callisto, Europa and Ganymede.

Its goal is to determine if these "icy moons" have been or will be conducive to the development of extraterrestrial life given the presence of water on these satellites.

In total, no less than 35 flybys of these moons are planned, in order to determine if there are places where the necessary conditions to support life (water, essential biological elements, etc.) are met.

Still, if life is present on these moons, it is most likely only in the form of microbes.

While space probes are usually powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), the European Space Agency (ESA) has opted for large solar panels.

With a total surface area of 85 sqm, they will be the main source of energy for this probe, generating around 800 watts to operate all the measurement and communications instruments onboard Juice.

This is not very much considering all the technology the probe carries, and is more or less equivalent to a coffee maker or a toaster.

In addition, its batteries will offer an operating time of up to five hours when the probe is shaded from the sun.

Note that, as Jupiter is further from the Sun than Earth, its rays will be much weaker. This journey promises to be particularly long, as Juice should arrive at its destination by 2030 or 2031.

For major maneuvers, such as establishing its various orbits (around Jupiter and/or its satellites), Juice will be able to count on a main engine and a set of smaller thrusters responsible for fine-tuning the trajectory of the probe.

These can also serve as a backup system for the engine.