European spacecraft embarks on mission to see if Jupiter's moons could support life

A European spacecraft has launched and is on its first leg of the journey to Jupiter in a mission to explore whether its ocean-bearing moons can support life. The six-tonne probe, named Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer), blasted off on an Ariane 5 rocket on Friday at 1.14pm UK time from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Juice was due to take off on Thursday but weather conditions showed there was a risk of lightning, temporarily pausing what would have been the agency’s first attempt to send a spacecraft to orbit another planet’s moon. It will need to separate from the rocket before beginning a 4.1 billion-mile journey which will take more than eight years. Onboard are 10 scientific instruments, which will investigate whether the gas giant’s three moons – Callisto, Europa and Ganymede – can support life in its oceans.