11 scientific instruments equipped with Jupiter detector

The European Space Agency announced on the 21st that the Jupiter Ice Moon Detective, which the agency plans to launch in 2022, will carry 11 scientific instruments to explore the possibility of life on Jupiter's satellites.

Jupiter's ice moon exploration mission was listed by the European Bureau of Aeronautics and Astronautics in May last year as the first large-scale task for the “2015-2025 Vision of the Universe”. According to plan, the probe will arrive at Jupiter orbit in 2030 and will observe Jupiter and its satellites for at least 3 years.

The European Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Scientific Project Committee determined on the same day 11 sets of scientific instruments to be carried by the Jupiter Ice Moon Detector, including cameras, spectrometers, laser altimeters, ice detection radars, magnetometers, and particle monitors. These instruments will be jointly developed by scientific teams from 15 European countries, the United States and Japan.

According to Luigi Colangelli, the European mission’s solar system mission coordinator, these instruments can achieve all scientific goals for Jupiter’s ice moon exploration mission, from on-site measurements of Jupiter’s magnetic field to long-range observations of Jupiter’s surface and internal structures.

Jupiter has many satellites, known as the "Little Solar System." Previous explorations have shown that there may be underground oceans on Europa, Ganymede and Ganymede. The Jupiter Ice Moon Detector will probe the three satellites and explore the possibility of life on them.