The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft that was launched on 14 April 2023 from Guiana Space Centre in the French Guiana by the European Space Agency (ESA) with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor.[3][4] The mission is planned to study Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa, three of Jupiter's Galilean moons. They are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces which would make them potentially habitable environments.[5][6] The spacecraft launched on 14 April 2023 at 12:14:36 UTC[2] and will reach Jupiter in July 2031 after four gravity assists and eight years of travel.[7][8] In December 2034, the spacecraft will enter orbit around Ganymede for its close-up science mission.[7] Its period of operations will overlap with NASA's Europa Clipper mission, launching in 2024.