The European Space Agency’s JUICE spacecraft will embark on an eight-year journey through the solar system on Thursday to find out if Jupiter’s icy moons may host extraterrestrial life in their vast hidden oceans. JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer (JUICE) has given the green light for its planned launch at 12:15 GMT on an Ariane 5 rocket from the European Space Station Kourou, French Guiana.

“The weather conditions are good,” said Marie-Anne Claire, Director of the Guyana Space Center, in the control room, where King Philippe of Belgium was among those present.

The six-ton ​​spacecraft, with an area of ​​about four square meters, will leave the rocket at an altitude of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) half an hour after launch. Then begins JUICE’s long and winding journey to Jupiter, 628 million kilometers from Earth.

Since the spacecraft doesn’t have enough power to fly directly to Jupiter, it will have to fly around other planets to gain the gravitational acceleration. It will first pass by the Earth and the Moon, then pass by Venus in 2025, and again by the Earth in 2029. Then it will finally embark on its grueling journey to the largest planet in the solar system.

“Are we alone in the universe?”

The spacecraft is wrapped in 500 layers of insulating blankets to protect itself from temperatures expected to rise above 250 degrees Celsius (480 degrees Fahrenheit) as it passes by Venus before dropping below minus 230C near Jupiter. It features a record 85 square meter solar panel that stretches to the size of a basketball court to collect as much energy as possible near Jupiter, where sunlight is 25 times weaker than on Earth.

When the probe arrives at Jupiter in 2031 – now with two billion kilometers on the odometer – the gas giant will need to brake very carefully to enter its orbit. JUICE will then focus on the Jupiter system, including the gas giant and its three icy moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

10 science instruments, including an optical camera, an ice penetrating radar, a spectrometer and a magnetometer, will test and analyze the satellites’ weather, magnetic field, gravitational pull, and other elements. ESA’s science director, Carol Mundell, said the Jupiter system has all the features of a mini solar system.

Studying the system will allow scientists to investigate how our solar system formed and ultimately attempt to answer the age-old question: “Are we alone in the universe?” said. The mission will not be able to directly detect the presence of extraterrestrial life, but instead aims to determine whether the satellites have conditions suitable for life.